Notice2025-22539
Draft Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel: Epidemiology and Control of Selected Infections Transmitted Among Healthcare Personnel and Patients: Conjunctivitis Section
Primary source
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Published
December 11, 2025
Issuing agencies
Health and Human Services DepartmentCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
Abstract
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces the opening of a docket to obtain comment on the Draft Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel: Epidemiology and Control of Selected Infections Transmitted Among Healthcare Personnel and Patients: Conjunctivitis Section ("Draft Guideline"). The Draft Guideline includes updates to the Guideline for infection control in health care personnel, 1998 ("1998 Guideline"), Part E: Epidemiology and Control of Selected Infections Transmitted Among Health Care Personnel and Patients, and its corresponding recommendations in Part II of the 1998 Guideline: "2. Conjunctivitis." The updated recommendations in the Draft Guideline are intended for use by the leaders and staff of Occupational Health Services (OHS), as further provided herein. These updated recommendations will help facilitate the provision of occupational infection prevention and control services to healthcare personnel (HCP) who have been exposed or infected and may be contagious to others in the workplace.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 236 (Thursday, December 11, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 236 (Thursday, December 11, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57471-57472]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-22539]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[Docket No. CDC-2025-0651]
Draft Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel: Epidemiology and
Control of Selected Infections Transmitted Among Healthcare Personnel
and Patients: Conjunctivitis Section
AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS).
ACTION: Notice with comment period.
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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces the opening of
a docket to obtain comment on the Draft Infection Control in Healthcare
Personnel: Epidemiology and Control of Selected Infections Transmitted
Among Healthcare Personnel and Patients: Conjunctivitis Section
(``Draft Guideline''). The Draft Guideline includes updates to the
Guideline for infection control in health care personnel, 1998 (``1998
Guideline''), Part E: Epidemiology and Control of Selected Infections
Transmitted Among Health Care Personnel and Patients, and its
corresponding recommendations in Part II of the 1998 Guideline: ``2.
Conjunctivitis.'' The updated recommendations in the Draft Guideline
are intended for use by the leaders and staff of Occupational Health
Services (OHS), as further provided herein. These updated
recommendations will help facilitate the provision of occupational
infection prevention and control services to healthcare personnel (HCP)
who have been exposed or infected and may be contagious to others in
the workplace.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before February 9, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2025-
0651 by either of the methods listed below. Do not submit comments by
email. CDC does not accept comments by email.
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
<bullet> Mail: Prevention and Response Branch, Division of
Healthcare Quality Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop H16-3, Atlanta, Georgia
30329, Attn: Docket Number CDC-2025-0651.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name
and Docket Number. All relevant comments received will be posted
without change to <a href="http://regulations.gov">http://regulations.gov</a>, including any personal
information provided. For access to the docket to read background
documents or comments received, go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Wells, Prevention and Response
Branch, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop H16-3, Atlanta,
Georgia 30329; Telephone: (404) 639-4000.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Participation
Interested persons or organizations are invited to participate by
submitting written views, recommendations, and data related to the
Draft Guideline.
Please note that comments received, including attachments and other
supporting materials, are part of the public record and are subject to
public disclosure. Comments will be posted on <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. Therefore, do not include any information in your
comment or supporting materials that you consider confidential or
inappropriate for public disclosure. If you include your name, contact
information, or other information that identifies you in the body of
your comments, that information will be on public display. CDC will
review all submissions and may choose to redact, or withhold,
submissions containing private or proprietary information such as
Social Security numbers, medical information, inappropriate language,
or duplicate/near duplicate examples of a mass-mail campaign. Do not
submit comments by email. CDC does not accept comment by email.
Background
The Draft Guideline, located in the ``Supporting & Related
Material'' tab of the docket, includes updates to the Guideline for
infection control in health care personnel, 1998, Part E: Epidemiology
and Control of Selected Infections Transmitted Among Health Care
Personnel and Patients, and its corresponding recommendations in Part
II of the 1998 Guideline: ``2. Conjunctivitis.'' The 1998 Guideline
provided information and recommendations for Occupational Health
Services (OHS) of healthcare facilities and systems on the prevention
of transmission of infectious diseases among HCP and patients and can
be found at <a href="https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/11563">https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/11563</a>.
As described in the Executive Summary of Part I of this guideline
(<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/infection-control/hcp/healthcare-personnel-infrastructure-routine-practices/executive-summary.html">https://www.cdc.gov/infection-control/hcp/healthcare-personnel-infrastructure-routine-practices/executive-summary.html</a>), in this
document, ``OHS'' is used synonymously with ``Employee Health,''
``Employee Health Services,'' ``Employee Health and Safety,''
``Occupational Health,'' and other such programs. OHS refers to the
group, department, or program that addresses many aspects of health and
safety in the workplace for HCP, including the provision of clinical
services for work-related injuries, exposures, and illnesses. In
healthcare settings, OHS addresses workplace hazards including
communicable diseases; slips, trips, and falls; patient handling
injuries; chemical exposures; HCP burnout; and workplace violence.
The Draft Guideline, once finalized, is intended for use by the
leaders and staff of OHS to guide the management of exposed or infected
HCP who may be contagious to others in the workplace. The draft
recommendations in the Draft Guideline provide current guidance on the
management of HCP exposed to or infected with conjunctivitis, focusing
on postexposure management, including postexposure prophylaxis, for
exposed HCP and work restrictions for exposed or infected HCP.
Beginning in 2015, the Healthcare Infection Control Practices
Advisory Committee (HICPAC) worked with national partners,
academicians, public health professionals, healthcare providers, and
other partners to develop Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel
(Part I: <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/infection-control/hcp/healthcare-personnel-infrastructure-routine-practices/index.html">https://www.cdc.gov/infection-control/hcp/healthcare-personnel-infrastructure-routine-practices/index.html</a>; Part II: https:/
/www.cdc.gov/infection-control/hcp/
[[Page 57472]]
healthcare-personnel-epidemiology-control/index.html) as a segmental
update of the 1998 Guideline. HICPAC, now terminated, was a federal
advisory committee appointed to provide advice and guidance to HHS and
CDC regarding the practice of infection control and strategies for
surveillance, prevention, and control of healthcare-associated
infections, antimicrobial resistance, and related events in United
States healthcare settings. HICPAC included representatives from public
health, infectious diseases, regulatory and other federal agencies,
professional societies, and other stakeholders. HICPAC reviewed and
voted to approve the draft recommendations in the Draft Guideline prior
to being terminated. Additional information on HICPAC's input into the
update of the Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel Guideline can
be found in the Methods Appendix included in the ``Supporting & Related
Material'' tab of the docket.
The updated draft recommendations in the Draft Guideline are
informed by reviews of the 1998 Guideline; CDC resources (e.g., CDC
infection control website), guidance, and guidelines, as noted more
specifically in the draft document; and new scientific evidence, when
available. A Methods Appendix for Infection Control in Healthcare
Personnel: Epidemiology and Control of Selected Infections Transmitted
Among Healthcare Personnel and Patients (<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/infection-control/hcp/healthcare-personnel-epidemiology-control/index.html">https://www.cdc.gov/infection-control/hcp/healthcare-personnel-epidemiology-control/index.html</a>) is
included in the ``Supporting & Related Material'' tab of the docket.
This information is being provided as supporting material, and CDC is
not seeking comments on the Methods Appendix. The Draft Guideline, once
finalized, will be the next section to be posted to the Infection
Control in Healthcare Personnel website.
CDC is seeking comments on the Draft Guideline. Please provide
references to new evidence and justification to support any suggested
revisions or additions. After comments received are considered and
addressed, the final recommendations will be published on CDC's website
here: <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/infection-control/hcp/healthcare-personnel-epidemiology-control/index.html">https://www.cdc.gov/infection-control/hcp/healthcare-personnel-epidemiology-control/index.html</a>. The final recommendations will also be
posted to docket CDC-2025-0651 at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>.
Noah Aleshire,
Chief Regulatory Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2025-22539 Filed 12-10-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P
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