Overview
CDC works with federal and public health partners to reduce C. diff infections by:
- Promoting CDC's guidelines for infection control and helping partners implement them.
- Supporting prevention collaboratives and prevention programs in states with high C. diff infection rates.
- Discovering and addressing barriers for C. diff infection prevention with healthcare facilities.
- Expanding implementation of antibiotic stewardship programs in all healthcare settings, focusing on specific antibiotics linked to C. diff infections.
- Innovatively addressing critical issues such as:
- The role of asymptomatic carriers.
- Transmission dynamics.
- The patient's microbiome.
- Environmental cleaning.
- The role of asymptomatic carriers.
C. diff infections are an urgent problem in hospitals, nursing homes and in communities. C. diff infections can spread more widely when patients move between these healthcare facilities, both within and between communities. Efforts to combat the spread include:
- Tracking and reporting national progress toward preventing C. diff infections in many types of healthcare facilities. The National and State Healthcare-Associated Infections Progress Report summarizes select HAIs, including C. diff, across four healthcare settings.
- Promoting C. diff prevention programs and providing gold-standard patient safety recommendations.
- Providing prevention expertise, as well as outbreak and laboratory support to health departments and facilities.
How CDC tracks C. diff infections
Clostridioides difficile Infection (CDI) Surveillance
Clostridioides difficile Infection (CDI) Surveillance collects data for describing incidence and tre...
National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)
CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network is the nation’s most widely used healthcare-associated infe...
CDC publishes data reports to help track progress and target areas that need assistance.
Antibiotic Resistance & Patient Safety Portal (AR & PSP)
Information on data sources for the Antibiotic Resistance & Patient Safety Portal (AR&PSP).
CDC-supported prevention and research
The Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) Program
ELC provides financial and technical support to detect, prevent, and respond to emerging diseases.
CDC's Prevention Epicenters Program works to improve healthcare quality and patient safety.
Targeted Assessment for Prevention (TAP) Strategy Toolkit
Free tools and strategy for healthcare and public health professionals to prevent healthcare-associa...
Clostridioides difficile Infection (CDI) Surveillance
Clostridioides difficile Infection (CDI) Surveillance collects data for describing incidence and tre...
About Antimicrobial Resistance Investments & Action
CDC’s Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions Initiative invests in national infrastructure to detect, re...