Global report on infection prevention and control 2024

Table of Contents

• Foreword 7
• Acknowledgements 8
• Abbreviations and acronyms 9
• Glossary 12
• Executive summary 16
• 1. Purpose, target audience and methods 17
• 2. The problem of unsafe care resulting from HAIs and AMR 18
• 3. Situation analysis of the implementation of IPC around the world 20
• 3.1 IPC implementation at national level 20
• 3.2 IPC implementation at health care facility level 22
• 3.3 IPC implementation at the regional level 25
• 4. The way forward 27
• References 30
• 1. Introduction, methods and target audience 34
• 1.1 What is infection prevention and control? 35
• 1.2 Purpose and target audience of this report 38
• 1.3 Data sources and methodologies 39
• 2. The problem of unsafe care resulting from health care-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance 42
• 2.1 Key messages 43
• 2.2 How frequent are infections acquired in health care? 44
• 2.2.1 AMR in health care 48
• 2.2.2 MRSA 49
• 2.2.3 Resistance to third-generation cephalosporins 49
• 2.2.4 Resistance to carbapenems 50
• 2.2.5 Resistance in Candida spp 51
• 2.2.6 HAIs and AMR during the COVID-19 pandemic 51
• 2.2.7 SARS-CoV-2 spread in health care settings 51
• 2.3 What are the consequences of HAIs and AMR for patients and health workers? 53
• 3. Infection prevention and control implementation at the national level 58
• 3.1 Key messages 59
• 3.2 National IPC programmes and dedicated budget 60
• 3.3 Implementation of IPC guidelines, and training and education 72
• 3.4 Documenting the progress and impact of IPC implementation: HAI surveillance and monitoring of IPC practices and feedback 77
• 3.5 Adoption of the multimodal approach to IPC implementation 82
• 4. Infection prevention and control implementation at the health care facility level 86
• 4.1 Key messages 87
• 4.2 Implementation of the IPC core components 88
• 4.3 IPC programme, human resources, and the built environment 95
• 4.4 Implementation of IPC guidelines, training and education 102
• 4.5 Implementation of IPC monitoring, audit and feedback, and HAI surveillance 104
• 4.6 Implementation of hand hygiene: global status 106
• 5. Regional focus: situation analysis, actions, gaps and challenges in the implementation of infection prevention and control 110
• 5.1 Key messages 111
• 5.2 Introduction 112
• 5.3 Main challenges 112
• 5.4 African Region 113
• 5.4.1 Situation analysis 113
• 5.4.2 Actions 119
• 5.5 Region of the Americas 120
• 5.5.1 Situation analysis 120
• 5.5.2 Actions 125
• 5.6 South-East Asia Region 127
• 5.6.1 Situation analysis 127
• 5.6.2 Actions 131
• 5.7 Eastern Mediterranean Region29 133
• 5.7.1 Situation analysis 133
• 5.7.2 Actions 138
• 5.8 European Region33 139
• 5.8.1 Situation analysis 139
• 5.8.2 Actions 144
• 5.9 Western Pacific Region40 145
• 5.9.1 Situation analysis 145
• 5.9.2 Actions 150
• 6. The way forward 152
• References 162
• Annex 1 178
• Recommendations and minimum requirements for the core components of IPC programmes, at national and health care facility level 179
• Annex 2 190
• Global actions and indicators for the WHO Secretariat and international and national stakeholders and partners in the context of the global action plan and monitoring framework on IPC 191
• Annex 3 198
• Country examples of implementation and progress in achieving the WHO core components for infection1 199
• Turn Nigeria Orange: the birth of a strong IPC programme at national and facility level 199
• Leading with excellence - National IPC initiative on reducing central-line bloodstream infections in Saudi Arabia 203