Health Associated Infections: Why hospitals could make you sicker

Medics could be skilled but if their tools are contaminated, the danger of leaving the hospital in a worse state become a real possibility and there’s even a medical term for it: Health Associated Infections.

These are infections that people get when they are receiving treatment at a health facility with the most common causes being bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites.

The most vulnerable groups are premature babies, very sick children, mothers who have just given birth, elderly people, people with certain medical conditions such as diabetes and those receiving treatment through chemotherapy that compromises their immunity.

Statistics on new mothers and premature babies show that there are estimated 1.4 million births per year, some of which are premature; which means 3,835 births per day.

13percent of those are delivered through Caesarian Section — 498 daily caesarian births; the risks of Urinary Tract Infections (UTI), bloodstream infections and pneumonia are most common if the facility is not kept clean.

The reality of all these is that, if those infections are not caught early and treated well, they could result in deaths.

The infections could also lead to a longer stay in hospital, longer recovery times and eventually a heavy financial burden.