This week is the annual International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW), , and aims to raise awareness of the role infection prevention plays in improving patient safety.

IIPW is organized by the US-based Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) which is the leading professional association for infection preventionists with more than 15 000 members who direct infection prevention programs that save lives. APIC advances its mission through patient safety, implementation science, competencies and certification, advocacy, and data standardization.

Established in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan, IIPW is celebrated the third week of October every year. APIC spearheads the annual effort to highlight the importance of infection prevention among healthcare professionals, administrators, legislators, and consumers. It is now formally recognized in many areas around the world including the U.S., Australia, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, and South East Asia. As IIPW expands, more patients benefit from safer healthcare practices and reduced threat of healthcare-associated infections.

This year APIC wants to help healthcare providers break the chain of infection and stop germs from spreading in all care settings. No matter the germ, each chain is made up of six links that can be broken to stop that germ from infecting another person. To celebrate IIPW and this year’s theme of “Break the Chain of Infection,” you can visit the “Infection Prevention and You” website (www.apic.org/infectionpreventionandyou).

Bactiguard Infection Prevention solutions can help break the chain of infection at the portal of entry by providing catheters with a thin noble metal coating that prevents bacteria from adhering and biofilm formation, which reduces the amount of healthcare acquired infections significantly.