[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 38 (Monday, February 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14075-14076]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03783]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Docket No. CDC-2024-0014]


Draft Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel: Epidemiology and 
Control of Selected Infections Transmitted Among Healthcare Personnel 
and Patients: Cytomegalovirus and Parvovirus B19 Sections and Draft 
Source Control Definition

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: Cytomegalovirus and Parvovirus 
B19 Sections (``Draft Guideline: Cytomegalovirus and Parvovirus B19 
Sections''), and on the accompanying Draft ``Source Control'' 
Definition adapted for Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel to be 
in the ``Terminology'' Appendix. The updated recommendations in the 
Draft Guideline: Cytomegalovirus and Parvovirus B19 Sections 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 April 26, 2024.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2024-
0014 by either of the methods listed below. Do not submit comments by 
email. CDC does not accept comments by email.
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory 
Committee (HICPAC) Secretariat, 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-2024-0014.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. All relevant comments received will be posted 
without change to http://regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided. For access to the docket to read background 
documents or comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Wells, Division of Healthcare 
Quality Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 
Clifton Road NE, Mailstop H16-2, 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: Cytomegalovirus and Parvovirus B19 Sections, and the 
accompanying Draft ``Source Control'' Definition.
    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 https://www.regulations.gov. 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 comments by email.

Background

    The Draft Guideline: Cytomegalovirus and Parvovirus B19 Sections, 
located in the ``Supporting & Related Material'' tab of the docket, 
updates 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: ``3. 
Cytomegalovirus;'' and ``11. Parvovirus.'' The accompanying Draft 
``Source Control'' Definition adapted for Infection Control in 
Healthcare Personnel to be in the ``Terminology'' Appendix (https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/healthcare-personnel/terminology.html) is also located in the ``Supporting & Related 
Material'' tab of the docket. 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 healthcare personnel (HCP) and patients and 
can be found at https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/11563.
    As described in the Executive Summary of this guideline (https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/healthcare-personnel/exec-summary.html), 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

[[Page 14076]]

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.
    This Draft Guideline: Cytomegalovirus and Parvovirus B19 Sections 
update is part of a larger guideline update: Infection Control in 
Healthcare Personnel. Part I, Infrastructure and Routine Practices for 
Occupational Infection Prevention and Control Services (2019), and the 
Diphtheria, Group A Streptococcus, Meningococcal Disease, Pertussis, 
and Rabies sections of Part II, Epidemiology and Control of Selected 
Infections Transmitted Among Healthcare Personnel and Patients (2022) 
are complete and have been published on the CDC Infection Control 
Guideline website: https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/healthcare-personnel/index.html. The Draft Guideline: Cytomegalovirus 
and Parvovirus B19 Sections, 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 Draft Guideline: Cytomegalovirus and Parvovirus B19 
Sections update the 1998 recommendations with current guidance on the 
management of HCP exposed to or potentially infected with 
cytomegalovirus or parvovirus B19, focusing on postexposure management, 
including postexposure prophylaxis, for exposed HCP and work 
restrictions for exposed or infected HCP. The adapted Draft ``Source 
Control'' Definition is being added to the ``Terminology'' Appendix of 
the Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel Guideline (https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/healthcare-personnel/terminology.html) because the term ``Source Control'' is used in the 
Draft Guideline: Parvovirus B19 Section, and may be used in subsequent 
sections.
    Since 2015, the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory 
Committee (HICPAC) has worked with national partners, academicians, 
public health professionals, healthcare providers, and other partners 
to develop Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel (https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/healthcare-personnel/index.html) as a segmental update of the 1998 Guideline. HICPAC is 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 includes, but is not limited to, 
representatives with expertise in public health, infectious diseases, 
and infection prevention and control. HICPAC also includes ex officio 
members who represent regulatory and other Federal agencies, and 
liaison representatives from professional societies. Draft Guideline: 
Cytomegalovirus and Parvovirus B19 Sections, once finalized, will be 
the next sections to be posted to the Infection Control in Healthcare 
Personnel website. The accompanying Draft ``Source Control'' Definition 
will be added to the Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel 
``Terminology'' Appendix (https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/healthcare-personnel/terminology.html).
    The updated draft recommendations in Draft Guideline: 
Cytomegalovirus and Parvovirus B19 Sections are informed by reviews of 
the 1998 Guideline; CDC resources (e.g., CDC infection control 
website), infection control guidance, and guidelines, as noted more 
specifically in the draft document; and new scientific evidence, when 
available. CDC is seeking comments on the Draft Guideline: 
Cytomegalovirus and Parvovirus B19 Sections and the accompanying Draft 
``Source Control'' Definition. Please provide references to new 
evidence and justification to support any suggested revisions or 
additions. This Draft Guideline: Cytomegalovirus and Parvovirus B19 
Sections and the accompanying Draft ``Source Control'' Definition are 
not Federal rules or regulations.

Noah Aleshire,
Chief Regulatory Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2024-03783 Filed 2-23-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P