WHO Report Shows Global Progress on HAIs Not Moving Fast Enough

A new global report on infection prevention and control (IPC) from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows “there has been slow progress in addressing critical gaps to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).”

Many HAIs can be prevented with “improved IPC practices and basic water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, which are also a highly cost-effective ‘best buy’ to reduce antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in health-care settings. This report, launched at a G7 side-event hosted by Italy, provides a baseline assessment for policymakers, IPC professionals, health care workers and stakeholders to guide action.”

Only 6% of countries “met all of the WHO IPC minimum requirements in 2023-2024.” The report “also highlights that patients in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have up to 20 times higher risk of acquiring infections during health-care delivery than in high-income countries (HICs).”

Addressing HAIs is “critical to reduce the risk of AMR, as recent estimates indicate that 136 million antibiotic resistant HAIs occur each year.” On top of this, “nearly a quarter of countries reported shortages in their supply of personal protective equipment in 2023.”

New data from WHO and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) “estimates that up to 3.5 million patients could die each year from HAIs without urgent action. Improving IPC measures at every level will help to reduce the number of deaths. The modelling estimated that IPC interventions at the point of care in health facilities, coordinated by Ministries of Health or established networks, could avert up to 821 000 deaths per year by 2050. Such an intervention would also yield annual savings in health-care expenditure as high as US$ 112 billion and generate economic gains of up to US$ 124 billion.”