Over the past decade, hospital infection control programs have begun to face new external influences that affect day-to-day practice. The mainstream media's interest in hospital-acquired infection sparked consumer interest, which resulted in more legislative activity and government regulation. Industry's influence is also increasing. To meet the increased demands of external agencies, infection control programs will need additional resources, and the infection control community will need to be more proactive in educating the public and defining the priorities for practice and research.