Background <p>Emerging infectious diseases pose serious threats to global health, and nurses working in national and public hospitals play a pivotal role in infection prevention. However, their infection control performance can be influenced by various psychosocial and environmental factors.</p> Methods <p>This cross-sectional study surveyed 193 nurses from three national and three public hospitals in South Korea. Data were collected in May 2022 using validated self-report questionnaires measuring burnout, moral sensitivity, infection prevention environment, and infection control performance related to emerging infectious diseases. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and hierarchical regression.</p> Results <p>The mean infection control performance score was 4.37 (SD = 0.53) out of 5. Moral sensitivity (β = 0.16, <i>p</i> = .014) and infection prevention environment (β = 0.48, <i>p</i> &lt; .001) significantly predicted infection control performance, explaining 37% of the variance. Burnout showed a negative correlation but was not a significant predictor in the regression model.</p> Conclusions <p>Infection control performance among nurses in national and public hospitals is significantly affected by moral sensitivity and the institutional infection prevention environment. Interventions to enhance these factors are critical to improving infection control during emerging infectious disease outbreaks.</p> Clinical trial number <p>Not applicable.</p>