Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

WHO warns of “urgent action required”: Critical deficiencies remain even after 5 years

byadmin
November 29, 2024

The report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that although nearly five years have passed since the first notification of COVID-19, progress in addressing critical deficiencies in the prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is slow.

According to the report, improved infection prevention and control (IPC) practices and basic water, sanitation and hygiene services can prevent a large proportion of hospital infections.

These measures are also among the ‘most cost-effective solutions’ for reducing the risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in healthcare settings.

The report noted that while 71 percent of countries have an active IPC program, only 6 percent will be able to meet the WHO’s minimum IPC requirements by 2023-2024.
This rate is well behind the target of exceeding 90 percent by 2030. It was also emphasized that the risk of contracting infection during healthcare is 20 times higher in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) than in high-income countries (HICs).
WHO Director-General Dr. “The COVID-19 pandemic, the Ebola, Marburg and mpox outbreaks are the most striking examples of how quickly pathogens can spread in healthcare settings,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Such infections pose a threat in hospitals and clinics every day, not just during epidemics,” he said.
The report noted serious shortcomings in budgets and protective equipment supply, especially in low-income countries.
A quarter of countries will have insufficient personal protective equipment by 2023 reported that they were having difficulties.
According to new data from the WHO and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 3.5 million patients could lose their lives each year due to hospital infections if urgent measures are not taken. The report noted that these interventions are expected to provide annual savings of $112 billion in health expenditures and economic gains of $124 billion.
byadmin
Published
Add a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Keep Up to Date with the Most Important News

By pressing the Subscribe button, you confirm that you have read and are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

Read more