Prevention Saves Lives

Prevention Saves Lives Dr. Shanina Knighton is a Clinical Research Scholar and an Infection Preventionist.

05/06/2026

This Nurses Week, I am sharing something that still amazes me.

Over the past year, I earned 297 media placements. My prevention guidance reached 429 million people. The publicity value crossed one million dollars. Every quote in Martha Stewart, Forbes, Self, CNET, Yahoo Lifestyle, Parade, New York Post, Fox, Better Homes & Gardens, MSN, and Cleveland.com came from a nurse-scientist sitting at her own desk, choosing to show up.

A special thank you to and special thank you to for pulling these analytics and helping me see the full picture of this year’s reach. I appreciate the work you do behind the scenes to elevate faculty voices.

Nursing reaches further than a single shift. And here is why that matters: year after year, nurses are ranked the most trusted profession in the country. When we speak, the public listens. That trust is a platform. That trust is a responsibility.

To every nurse reading this: your expertise is not too small for the front page. Your voice is not too quiet for a national audience. Use your voice. Prevention saves lives.

Happy Nurses Week.

05/06/2026

Dining out is something we all enjoy.
A few small habits can make it even safer.

The ketchup bottle is a simple example.

You wash your hands ✔️
Your food comes ✔️
You grab the ketchup ❌
Then touch your food ❌

That bottle has been handled by multiple people throughout the day and is not cleaned between each guest.

Hands → bottle → your hands → your food → your mouth

That is the part people do not think about.

What I personally do:
Use it → then clean my hands before eating

Napkin can help for squeeze bottles, but for flip caps, you still have to touch it and in this case hand hygiene after use is most appropriate.

Same goes for salt, pepper, hot sauce, menus, and tables.

Clean-looking does not always mean clean.

Simple awareness. Simple habits. Big protection.

Don’t forget to vote tomorrow.Voting is important. Doing it safely matters too.Shared surfaces like pens, check-in stati...
05/04/2026

Don’t forget to vote tomorrow.

Voting is important. Doing it safely matters too.

Shared surfaces like pens, check-in stations, and IDs can carry germs from person to person. A few simple steps can reduce your risk:

• Bring hand sanitizer or wipes with you
• Clean your hands after touching shared items like pens and voting surfaces
• Wipe down your ID before putting it back in your wallet

Spring allergies and colds are already circulating. Stay mindful of your symptoms and practice good hand hygiene to protect yourself and others.

Your health is in your hands. Make informed choices.

That lock is not as clean as you think.It is often touched after someone finishes…and that contamination can transfer to...
04/30/2026

That lock is not as clean as you think.

It is often touched after someone finishes…
and that contamination can transfer to your hands.

That lock is not as clean as you think.
It is often touched after someone finishes…
and that contamination can transfer to your hands.
From there, it can follow you where it should never go.

Be mindful of what you touch.
Clean your hands when you enter and again when you leave.

👉🏾Carry sanitizer or wipes

👉🏾Use a barrier when you can

Small habits can help prevent illness and infections.

— Shanina Knighton, PhD, RN, CIC Nurse Scientist & Infection Preventionist

We worry about the security line. We do not worry about what is IN the bin.Those gray TSA bins are one of the dirtiest s...
04/30/2026

We worry about the security line. We do not worry about what is IN the bin.

Those gray TSA bins are one of the dirtiest surfaces in the airport. They get touched by hundreds of hands and items a day and rarely get cleaned between travelers. Then we drop our phone, our headphones, our ID into them, and put those right back on our face.

What I told Travel + Leisure 👇

✈️ Bag your headphones (case or carry-on, never loose in the bin) ✈️ Treat bins like the high-contact surfaces they are ✈️ Wipe down phone, headphones, and ID after screening ✈️ Sanitize your hands BEFORE you touch your face
***Check with the manufacturer to know what cleaning and disinfecting products and techniques are safe for your items***
The risk isn’t the airport. It’s how casually we handle our personal items in shared spaces.

Save this before your next flight 🛫

— Dr. Nina

Your food is not spoiling because of the produce. It is spoiling because of how you are storing it in storage containers...
04/28/2026

Your food is not spoiling because of the produce. It is spoiling because of how you are storing it in storage containers.

Most people stack storage containers the second the dishwasher finishes. The problem? Trapped moisture is the vehicle bacteria need to grow and multiply, and dishwashers clean… they do not sterilize containers freeing all bacteria.

Here is what I shared👇

✅ Air dry every container fully before sealing ✅ Store containers up off the floor (foot traffic dust is real) ✅ Inspect bread and fresh fruit first; they soak up trapped moisture the fastest

Small habits. Big prevention.

Save this for the next time you unload the dishwasher 💜

— Dr Nina

A quick rinse between uses isn’t washing. At least every other day for water use only … Your mouth carries millions of b...
04/28/2026

A quick rinse between uses isn’t washing. At least every other day for water use only …

Your mouth carries millions of bacteria, and every sip leaves some behind in your bottle. Over a few days, those bacteria form a biofilm, a slimy invisible coating that protects them from casual rinsing. That’s the “weird taste” you sometimes get even when you’re “just drinking water.”

Here is what I shared with Upworthy 👇

💧 Plain water → wash with soap & warm water EVERY OTHER DAY 💧 Coffee, protein, lemon water, anything sweet → wash IMMEDIATELY, every single time 💧 Use warm water (cold won’t break down oils) 💧 Hand wash, not the dishwasher (bottle depth matters) 💧 ALWAYS dry upside down before capping (trapped moisture = breeding ground)

Bonus: A 30-minute soak in white vinegar + warm water cuts through buildup a sponge can’t reach.

If you see mold or your seal feels worn down, replace the bottle. No exceptions.

— Dr. Nina

Peak cold season is here. We protect ourselves and each other through everyday choices. Clean hands, clean spaces, immun...
01/20/2026

Peak cold season is here. We protect ourselves and each other through everyday choices. Clean hands, clean spaces, immune support, and staying home when sick reduce the spread of illness. Simple habits. Collective impact. Prevention saves lives.

11/07/2025

People will be out here coughing and saying “it’s just allergies.” Ok but them allergy droplets still droppin 🤧 Be safe yall. If you sound sick, you probably are. It’s ok to chill at home before you give everybody else the chills …. Let’s normalize not being sick. Health is Wealth!

10/30/2025

💧🧊 ICE & WATER MAKER Q-TIP CHALLENGE

When’s the last time you checked your ice maker or water dispenser? 👀
Grab a Q-tip, swipe the inside where your ice drops or water comes out… then look at it.

We’ve taken samples from fridges and tested them in the lab — and what’s growing will make you think twice. 🦠
Who wants bacteria, mold, or fungus in their ice or water? 😳
Even after changing your filter, buildup can still make you sick.

Here’s what to do:
🔹 Turn the ice maker off before cleaning.
🔹 Wash the ice bin with warm, soapy water.
🔹 Wipe the dispenser area and chute with a vinegar-water mix or diluted bleach solution (rinse and dry completely).
🔹 Run a few batches of ice and throw them out.
🔹 Replace filters every 6 months — or sooner if you notice buildup or odor.

Tag and DM your results — I want to see the clean and the nasty Q-tips! 😅
I won’t tell on you, I promise. This is for learning purposes only 💧❄️

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