The Government of Kenya, through the Ministry of Health, has the
constitutional obligation to provide the highest level of health care for its
citizens. The Ministry of Health’s review of the 2015 Policy document
on infection
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prevention and control (IPC) is in line with that goal.
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In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, this guidance provides information on infection and prevention co
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ntrol (IPC) for older people, their friends and families, carers, and healthcare providers. Anyone who manages, works, volunteers or provides care at any type of facilities where older people receive care at (long-term care facilities, non-acute care facilities, and home care services), should practice strict IPC to prevent and control COVID-19 outbreaks. It has been observed in different countries that older people have higher case-fatality rate compared to other age groups. Therefore, it is especially important to implement and follow IPC measures at facilities, homes, and other venues that older people frequent.
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Infection prevention and control (IPC) practi
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ces are of critical importance in protecting the function of healthcare services at all levels and mitigating the impact on vulnerable populations. Although the management of possible COVID-19 cases is usually guided by national policies for specific healthcare facilities, community transmission is currently widespread in most EU/EEA countries and the UK, therefore primary healthcare providers in the community such as GPs, dentists and pharmacists are at risk of being exposed to COVID-19.
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In the current absence of vaccine for COVID-19, public health response target breaking the chain of infection by focusing on the mode of transmission. This paper summarizes current evidence-base around the transmission dynamics, pathogenic,
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and clinical features of COVID-19, to critically identify if there are any gaps in the current IPC guidelines.
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In the strategies for effective infection prevention and control (
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IPC), what does triage entail at hospitals?
Triage includes screening at the entrance, identification of cases and isolation if necessary. There should be a triage (screening) area where visitors to the hospital are interviewed using standard questionnaires to identify symptoms, along with temperature checks and documentation of contacts. Individuals who meet the case definition for COVID-19 should be isolated immediately while arrangement is being made for swab (sample) collection from the patient. (See the WHO guidance on triage).
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The Guidelines for the Prevention, Surveillance and Management of COVID-19 Infection amongst Health Care Workers (HCW) in Zimbabwe were developed t
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o prevent, detect and manage HCW COVID-19 infection, an emerging pandemic affecting the whole world. The HCW is at the fore front of this pandemic, thus the need for standardised operating procedures is of utmost importance. These guidelines therefore seek to reduce the significant morbidity and mortality among the HCW, ultimately ensuring the reduction of the cost to the health care worker and the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) as a whole. The Ministry of Health and Child Care requires that all health care workers in various health care settings follow infection prevention and control procedures.
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BMJ Global Health2019;4:e001504. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2019-00150
The recently published World Health Organization (WHO) Strengthening infection prevention and control
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in primary care document collates existing standards, measurement and implementation approaches, and resources for infection prevention and control (IPC) in primary care. During its development, it became apparent that a number of already existing tools and resources have the potential to support facility-level implementation of IPC in primary care.
This toolkit brings together in one place a number of these tools and resources from WHO and other organizations, with a focus on those most relevant to primary care. These tools and resources have been compiled to support facility-level implementation in line with the recommended WHO IPC Hub and Task Force multimodal approach.
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A module from the suite of health service capacity assessments in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, Interim Guidance 20 October 2020.
This self-assessment tool is designed for acute health-care facilities (i.e. tertiary and secondary) but can b
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e modified for the use in long-term care facilities, to help identify, prioritize and address the gaps in infection prevention and control (IPC) capacity in managing their response to COVID-19. The tool should be used by IPC professionals and/or those responsible for disaster planning or outbreak management in the facility (such as the response to the COVID-19 outbreak) at the start of the improvement process. A sample workplan template is provided to address gaps identified and record required actions.
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The WHO and UNICEF-led Hand Hygiene for All Initiative aims at ensuring implementation for WHO's global recommendations on hand hygiene to prevent and con
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trol COVID-19 pandemic, and hand hygiene improvement sustainability in countries as a mainstay of wider infection prevention and control (IPC) and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) efforts.
But how can hand hygiene implementation be successful? By implementing strategies and approaches proven through the successes of the WHO Save Lives: Clean Your Hands campaign and fostering integration between hand hygiene and WASH improvements. This brief draws on learning from legacy work and the current evidence based and summarizes how joint action and collaboration are essential for successful strategies, in the context of the COVID-19 response and beyond
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AIDS Free Nigeria Training Manual
According to WHO, infection prevention and control (
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IPC) is a scientific approach and practical solution designed to prevent harm caused by infection to patients and health workers. It is grounded in infectious diseases, epidemiology, social science and health system strengthening. IPC occupies a unique position in the field of patient safety and quality universal health coverage since it is relevant to health workers and patients at every single health-care encounter. Poor WASH and IPC lead to health acquired infections, transmission of diseases from health facilities to communities and increased use of antibiotics and exacerbate outbreak and spread of infections- in this case- COVID- 19. On the contrary, effective IPC reduces hospital-acquired infections by at least 30% (WHO 2016).
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This guidance note developed by UNICEF helps WASH staff in their preparedness and response to the current COVID-19 pandemic. It provides an overview of Infection
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Prevention and Control (IPC) and its intersection with water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). It also provides key actions that staff can implement to help prevent infection and its spread in health-care facilities: from human to human, among health care workers and patients, through droplets, and by touching surfaces contaminated with the virus. WASH, including waste management and environmental cleaning, is essential for IPC
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This guidance note is for UNICEF Regional and Country Office WASH staff to help them in their preparedness and response to the current COVID-19 global pandemic. It provides an overview of
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Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and its intersection with water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and how UNICEF staff can help prevent infection and its spread in schools, through human to human and by touching surfaces contaminated with the virus. WASH services including waste management and environmental cleaning are all important for IPCs.
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15 January 2021
This Aide Memoire is for policy makers, immunization programme managers, infection prevention and
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control (IPC) focal points at national, sub-national, and facility level, as well as for health workers involved in COVID-19 vaccination delivery. This document summarizes the key IPC principles to consider and the precautions to take for safely delivering COVID-19 vaccines. The principles and recommendations provided in this document derive from World Health Organization (WHO) IPC and immunization standards and other guidance in the context of COVID-19. WHO will update these recommendations as new information becomes available. All technical guidance for COVID-19 is available online.
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This document aims to encourage countries to develop and implement policies to maintain and strengthen IPC programmes
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and measures in health care facilities in the context of the current ongoing transmission of the SARS-CoV-2, with recognition that epidemiological trends may vary and the risk of transmission of other pathogens.
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This guidance note developed by UNICEF is intended to help WASH staff in their preparedness and response to the current COVID-19 pandemic. It provides an overview of Infection
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Prevention and Control (IPC) and its intersection with water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and how staff can help prevent infection and its spread in schools, whether through human-to-human or by touching surfaces contaminated with the virus. WASH services, including waste management and environmental cleaning, are all important for IPC. This brief is available in English, Spanish, and French here.
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Annex. This document is an update of a guidance published on 12 July 2021, after the review of new scientific evidence on transmission of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC). It contains updated recommendations on the use of masks and respirators
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for health workers providing care to suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
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