[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 23, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10217-10218]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-03768]



[[Page 10217]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Docket No. CDC-2022-0028]


Draft Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel: Epidemiology and 
Control of Selected Infections Transmitted Among Healthcare Personnel 
and Patients: Rabies Section

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice with comment.

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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: Rabies Section (Draft 
Guideline: Rabies Section). The Draft Guideline: Rabies Section updates 
the Rabies section of 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: ``14. Rabies.'' The updated recommendations in the Draft 
Guideline: Rabies Section are intended for use by the leaders and staff 
of occupational health services. 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 25, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2022-
0028, by either of the following methods:
    <bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
    <bullet> Mail: Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory 
Committee (HICPAC) Secretariat, Division of Healthcare Quality 
Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd. 
NE, Mailstop H16-3, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, Attn: Docket No. CDC-2022-
xxxx.
    Instructions: Submissions via http://regulations.gov are preferred. 
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. Do not submit comments by 
email. CDC does not accept comments by email.

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: Rabies Section. 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. 
CDC will carefully consider all comments submitted in preparation of 
the final Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel: Epidemiology and 
Control of Selected Infections Transmitted Among Healthcare Personnel 
and Patients: Rabies Section and may revise the final document as 
appropriate.

Background

    The Draft Guideline: Rabies Section, located in the ``Supporting & 
Related Material'' tab of the docket, updates the Rabies section of the 
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: ``14. 
Rabies.'' That section provided information and recommendations for 
occupational health services of healthcare facilities and systems on 
the prevention of transmission of infectious diseases among HCP and 
patients. The 1998 Guideline can be found at https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/11563. This Draft Guideline: Rabies Section 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, and Pertussis sections of Part 
II, Epidemiology and Control of Selected Infections Transmitted Among 
Healthcare Personnel and Patients (2021) are published on the CDC 
Infection Control Guideline website and can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/healthcare-personnel/index.html.
    The Draft Guideline: Rabies Section, once finalized, is intended 
for use by the leaders and staff of occupational health services to 
guide the management of exposed or infected HCP who may be contagious 
to others in the workplace. The draft recommendations in Draft 
Guideline: Rabies Section update the 1998 recommendations with current 
guidance on the management of HCP exposed to rabies or HCP potentially 
infected with rabies, focusing on postexposure management, including 
postexposure prophylaxis, for exposed HCP and work restrictions for 
exposed or infected HCP.
    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 U.S. 
healthcare settings. HICPAC includes representatives from public 
health, infectious diseases, regulatory and other federal agencies, 
professional societies, and other interested community members. Draft 
Guideline: Rabies Section, once finalized, will be the next section to 
be posted to the Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel website.

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    The updated draft recommendations in Draft Guideline: Rabies 
Section are informed by reviews of the 1998 Guideline; CDC resources 
(e.g., CDC Rabies website), guidance, and guidelines; and new 
scientific evidence, when available. CDC is seeking feedback on 
revisions or additions to consider for the recommendations and 
narrative in the Draft Guideline: Rabies Section. Please provide 
references to new evidence and justification to support any suggested 
revisions or additions. This Draft Guideline: Rabies Section is not a 
federal rule or regulation.

    Dated: February 16, 2022.
Angela K. Oliver,
Executive Secretary, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2022-03768 Filed 2-22-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P