July 17, 2026- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data showing significant strides in reducing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in hospitals across the United States. The new survey data shows that, in 2023, on any given day about 1 in 38 hospitalized patients had at least one HAI, compared with 1 in 31 patients in 2015. Even after accounting for differences in the patients included in the two surveys, patients in the 2023 survey were less likely to experience HAI than patients in the survey conducted in 2015.
The 2023 survey, from CDC’s Emerging Infections Program (EIP), included 13,653 patients across 218 hospitals in 10 states. Trained staff reviewed medical records using National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) definitions to identify HAIs.