WHO Infection Prevention and Control
Global Newsletter
5 April 2023
News from WHO headquarters
World Hand Hygiene Day, 5 May 2023
Preparations for the 2023 World Hand Hygiene Day (WHHD) campaign continue! The final campaign resources have been launched on the campaign webpage in the six official UN languages, including a short animation video with a powerful message to be shared.
Now is the time to accelerate action together – to save hundreds of thousands of lives around the world – now and in the future. Join the campaign and spread the word! Here are some ways you can get involved:
1. Use the campaign resources
Use the campaign slogan, posters, social medial tiles, poster maker, and web banner on your own website(s) and your other communication channels, to promote hand hygiene on or around 5 May 2023. Let us know that you featured the campaign on your website by emailing savelives@who.int and this will be acknowledged by WHO on its own webpages. The campaign animation video can also be shared across networks, on social media, and embedded in presentations. The WHHD 2023 concept and details are summarized in the campaign advocacy slides that are available for you to use for advocacy.
2. Support the calls to action
Use the campaign call to action posters for key target audiences: health and care workers, IPC practitioners, people who access care and policy makers. Use this poster maker to create your own campaign poster and share your message with the world on your preferred social medial networks; also post your poster, photo or video on the Clean Hands Save Lives website. Visit the campaign webpage for suggested activities and resources to support action.
3. For civil society and partner organizations: accelerate participation in the campaign among your members
This year, WHO is calling on all civil society and partner organizations to engage with the campaign and accelerate progress at achieving effective hand hygiene at point of care! To support achieving this, we created a campaign guide. Use the ideas wherever you are, to support local events and activities. Share these ideas and your activities widely on your preferred social medial networks and on this website.
4. Join the WHO global WHHD webinar
On 5 May 2023 (14:00-15:30 CET) WHO will organize a global webinar about the importance of hand hygiene and infection prevention and control (IPC), with a particular focus on the actions and role of civil society organizations to accelerate change at local, national and international levels. Register here.
On 5 May 2023 (19:30 CET), also attend the Webber Training special lecture for 5 May; speakers will be Prof. Didier Pittet, (University of Geneva, Switzerland) and Dr Benedetta Allegranzi (IPC Hub, WHO HQ). Register here.
Look for the next Newsletter edition (end of April) to learn about the new technical tools that WHO will issue on 5 May 2023!
Hand Hygiene Acceleration Framework Tool
In November 2022, the Hand Hygiene Acceleration Framework Tool was published online. This resource is now available in French, Russian and Spanish. Developed by UNICEF, WHO and WaterAid as part of the Hand Hygiene for All (HH4A) initiative, this tool tracks the process that a government has undergone to develop and implement a plan of action for hand hygiene improvement and assesses the quality of that plan. It helps to identify barriers, opportunities and priority actions for accelerating progress towards universal hand hygiene and to drive investment to these targets. The Hand Hygiene Acceleration Framework Tool is designed to be used primarily at the national or sub-national level, by the lead government agency.
Country stories from around the world
Visit the WHO web page on IPC country examples to learn about two new examples from Ghana and Kazakhstan!
Ghana: Driving action on IPC and water, sanitation and hygiene
Learn more about how Ghana prioritized the built environment, materials and equipment for IPC to help ensure a clean and hygienic environment for health care delivery.
IPC in Kazakhstan: turning challenges into opportunities
Also learn from Kazakhstan how they used lessons from their COVID-19 preparedness and response to build robust and sustainable IPC solutions in the health care sector and in communities.
Preparedness and resilience for emerging threats
The WHO Health Emergencies Programme is leading the Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats (PRET) initiative, an approach to pandemic preparedness. This initiative recognizes that the same systems, capacities, knowledge and tools can be leveraged for groups of pathogens based on their mode of transmission. PRET is delivered through:
- technical guidance, resources and exercises;
- platforms for coordination and collaboration; and
- communities of practice.
In preparation for its launch in April 2023, WHO is hosting two webinars that highlight the value of using a mode of transmission approach to support pandemic preparedness and how this approach complements other capacity-building efforts.
The first webinar – “The journey from pandemic response to the new operating context: why mode of transmission preparedness planning is needed” – was held on 23 March 2023. It presented the value of using a mode of transmission approach to support pandemic preparedness and how this approach complements other capacity-building efforts.
The second webinar – “A new era in pandemic preparedness and the foundational cross-cutting capacities required” – is scheduled to be held on 18 April 2023 (12.30-13.30 CET). It will be conducted in English, with simultaneous interpretation in Arabic, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
For more information, please refer to the PRET Global Meeting event page.
Midwifery education and care
In January 2023, the introductory facilitator’s guide (module 1 of 5) of the WHO Essential Childbirth Care Course was published on the WHO website. The Course is focused on the midwifery model of care and provides innovative, fun and challenging in-service adult education for the care of healthy women and their newborns. The goal of this guide is to support facilitators to enable learners to implement WHO recommendations and tools for evidence-based midwifery care during labour, childbirth and the immediate postnatal period. Visit the midwifery education and care webpage for more information.
News from our partners
International Day of the Midwife (IDM) | 5 May 2023
The 2023 theme for the IDM, ‘Together again: from evidence to reality’ is a nod to the upcoming 33rd ICM Triennial Congress, where the global midwife community will come together for the first time in more than five years. It is also honours the efforts of midwives and their associations to action critical evidence like the State of the World’s Midwifery (2021) towards meaningful change for our profession and the women and families we care for. The advocacy toolkit and resources to support this day can be found here. They will be hosting a virtual party for midwives from around the world to come together in celebration of their profession and the life-saving, life-promoting care we provide to women and families. Click here for more information and to register for this event.
33rd International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) Triennial Congress | 11-14 June 2023
The ICM is meeting in Bali, Indonesia for the first time in six years! The theme for the 2023 Congress, “Together again: from evidence to reality” reflects their excitement for face-to-face engagement and points to the work being undertaken to implement the evidence which continues to demonstrate the investment case for midwives. This event open to the global community of midwives, governments and health leadership. Registration is now open.
International Conference on Infection Prevention and Control (ICPIC) | 12-15 September 2023
The 7th edition of ICPIC will be held once again in Geneva (Switzerland) and provides a unique forum for the exchange of knowledge and experience in the prevention of healthcare-associated infection and control of antimicrobial resistance around the world. Abstract submission is now open until 25 May 2023, 23h59 CET – you are invited to submit yours today! Early bird registration is now open.
AMR Declaration Trust
The AMR (Antimicrobial Resistance) Declaration Trust is a public charitable trust founded on the principles of the “Chennai Declaration” (2012). The consensus evolved out of the first ever joint meeting of medical societies in India to address antibiotic resistance. The Trust aims to tackle the challenge of AMR by collaborating with various relevant governmental and non-governmental organizations and has recently published an e-book, Principles of AMR and AMS (antimicrobial stewardship), which is available free of charge and can be downloaded from the website. The content covers the fundamental aspects of AMR, AMS and IPC. It has been written in ‘question & answer’ format so that students can easily grasp the concepts and will help to serve as a foundation to familiarize them with day-to-day activities in this field. It has been prepared by practising infectious diseases physicians, clinical microbiologists and clinical infectious diseases pharmacists from India.
United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The US CDC introduces a new training resource for environmental services (EVS) personnel and administrators. EVS staff have a shared responsibility to help stop health care-associated infections from spreading by working with colleagues, prioritizing areas that pose immediate safety risks, and following guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting. Access the EVS and the battle against infection interactive training and graphic novel to learn more about the vital role EVS personnel have in the prevention of health care-associated infections.
Infection Control Africa Network (ICAN)
ICAN reminds us about several IPC training resources available through its network. Please find below a summary of current offerings and visit the ICAN website for further information.
1. International Postgraduate Diploma in IPC; 2-year part-time course (5 modules); Radboud University in The Netherlands; Virtual
2. Fundamentals in IPC; 6-month part-time course (5 modules); South African Medical Association; Virtual
3. Basic IPC for health care workers; 5-day course; South African Medical Association; Virtual or face-to-face; Basic sterile services; 5-day course
4. South African Medical Association; Face to face; Basic IPC for health care managers; 5-day course; South African Medical Association; Virtual or face-to-face
6. Advanced IPC course for healthcare workers; 10-day course; South African Medical Association; Virtual or face-to-face
7. Train-the-Trainer IPC course; 12-week course; South African Medical Association; 5-day, face-to-face, followed by a 10-week practical period and a 5-day evaluation period
This newsletter is prepared by the Infection Prevention and Control Technical and Clinical Hub (IPC T&C Hub) at WHO headquarters, with input from the WHO IPC global team and our partners and stakeholders.
For further information on WHO and IPC, please visit the WHO IPC web page
Providing WHO information must be balanced with available resources, both human and financial. WHO do their best to translate their most relevant tools and documents. Regretfully, we are not currently able to translate this SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands newsletter into French or Spanish. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you and hope that you will remain a valued reader of the newsletter.
La délivrance d’informations provenant de l’OMS dépend des ressources disponibles, à la fois humaines et financières. L’OMS, comprenant l’équipe “Un Soin Propre est un Soin plus sûr”, fait de son mieux pour traduire ses outils et documents les plus importants. Malheureusement, nous ne sommes pas actuellement en mesure de traduire la lettre d’information mensuelle de SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands en français et en espagnol.
Nous nous excusons pour ce désagrément et espérons que vous resterez un fidèle lecteur de la lettre d’information à l’avenir.
La información generada por la OMS, depende de los recursos humanos y económicos disponibles. El Programa, y el equipo de la iniciativa “Cuidado Limpio es Cuidado Seguro”, realizan sus mejores esfuerzos para traducir el material y documentos de mayor importancia. Desafortunadamente, por el momento no contamos con la facilidad de traducir el boletin mensual SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands en francés o español. Le
pedimos disculpas por cualquier inconveniente que podamos causarle, y esperamos seguir contando con su valiosa participación como lector de nuestro boletin.
