The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated four parts of the Epidemiology and Control of Selected Infections section of the Guideline for Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel, originally published in 1998. This guideline is intended for use by leaders and staff of Occupational Health Services (OHS) and to guide OHS in the management of exposed or infected healthcare personnel (HCP) who may be contagious to others in the workplace.

The updated recommendations in these sections include the latest evidence-based guidance to continue to protect HCP as they serve their patients. Specifically, the updates focus on post-exposure management, including post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), for exposed HCP and work restrictions for exposed or infected HCP. The updates to the Epidemiology and Control of Selected Infections Transmitted Among Healthcare Personnel and Patients section include:
• Diphtheria
• Group A Streptococcus
• Meningococcal Disease
• Pertussis

The updated sections provide:
• Current guidance on the management of exposed or potentially infectious HCP
• Expanded information regarding defining occupational exposures in healthcare settings
• Descriptions of clinical features of each disease
• Current resources for diagnostic testing, recommended vaccines, and criteria for evidence of immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases for HCP

The recommendations are classified as good practice statements based upon the expert opinions of the authors and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC).

The Infrastructure and Routine Practices for Occupational Infection Prevention and Control Services section of the 1998 guideline was updated in 2019.