CDC posts HAI progress report

Editor's Note

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on November 4 posted the incidence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) reported by US hospitals in 2021.

The report showed that rates for four of six tracked infections had increased:

• Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) increased 7%, with the largest increase in ICUs at 10%
• Ventilator-associated events (VAEs) increased 12%, with a 12% increase in ICUs and a 16% increase in non-ICUs
• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) increased 14%
• Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIS) increased 5%, with the largest increase in ICUs at 9%.

Clostridioides difficile (C difficile) infections decreased 3%, and surgical-site infections (SSIs) remained essentially the same for the 10 procedures tracked.

In 2021, the US continued to experience unprecedented challenges because of COVID-19, which impacted surveillance for HAIs, the CDC says.