LAST CHANCE: IHA, IDPH Webinar Celebrating Stewardship Successes TOMMORROW
IHA is joining the Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) this U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (USAAW), Nov. 18–24, to host a special webinar honoring stewardship excellence across Illinois. USAAW is a national observance held each year to promote the responsible use of antimicrobials and raise awareness about antimicrobial resistance.
Tomorrow, Nov. 18, from noon-1 p.m. CT the “Champions of Change: Celebrating Stewardship Success” webinar will feature IDPH’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Program leaders, Jamie Jacob, PharmD, BCIDP, and Shannon Calus, MPH. The program will:
- Provide updates on IDPH’s antimicrobial stewardship initiatives;
- Recognize the 2025 Acute Care Antimicrobial Stewardship Honor Roll awardees;
- Highlight Collaboration Distinction Award recipients; and
- Showcase efforts supporting USAAW.
This webinar is open to all hospitals, and we encourage you to share the registration link with colleagues involved in antimicrobial stewardship programs.
Click here to register.
Guidance Released to Combat Akira Ransomware Following Recent Attacks
A
joint advisory issued last week by U.S. and international agencies provided updated guidance to help defend against the Akira ransomware group. The advisory said that new Akira ransomware activity presents an imminent threat to critical infrastructure; Akira has previously conducted cyberattacks on hospitals and healthcare systems. Akira relies primarily on brute force attacks on virtual private networks without enabled multi-factor authentication to gain initial access, and then they exploit known vulnerabilities in victim systems. Agencies said the group, known for attacking Cisco environments, was recently found to have expanded its tactics and techniques. Hospitals should ensure that their VPNs are properly configured and that they are quickly addressing published common vulnerabilities and exposures. As of late September, the group has claimed approximately $244 million from ransomware incidents.
RECALL: Dietary Supplements Recalled Due to Salmonella Risk
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have
reported an ongoing investigation into a multistate salmonella outbreak linked to moringa leaf powder. The products included in the recall were sold at Sam’s Club stores nationwide and through online locations including Amazon, Walmart, Target and eBay. At this time no illnesses related to this recall have been reported in Illinois. The FDA is working to determine the point of contamination and what additional products were made with the implicated lot of recalled moringa leaf powder that was used in the recalled products. Refer to the
recall announcement for additional information.
The Infectious Respiratory Disease Surveillance Dashboard from the Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) provides the latest data on hospital visits, seasonal trends, lab test positivity and demographic data. IDPH also tracks COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus information through the Illinois Wastewater Surveillance System dashboard.
Briefly Noted
The Illinois Dept. of Human Services announced last week it is restoring full SNAP benefits now that the federal government shutdown has ended. The Department said it anticipates that the remaining benefit payments will be made over the coming days, with all SNAP recipients receiving their full November benefits by Nov. 20. SNAP information and food resources can be found here.
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