MANILA, March 3 (Xinhua) -- A new World Health Organization (WHO) report released Monday exposed "dangerous gaps" in infection prevention and control systems across six countries in the Western Pacific region: Cambodia, Laos, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Vietnam.

The report, Infection Prevention and Control Systems in Six Priority Countries in the Western Pacific Region, highlighted the need for these countries to strengthen monitoring and evaluation to guide action to boost infection prevention and control (IPC) programs.

Strong IPC measures, such as hand hygiene, aseptic technique, environmental cleaning, and patient isolation or cohorting precautions, minimize the risks to patients and their health.

While all six countries have established national IPC programs, the report said that policy implementation gaps exist with limited compliance monitoring, and efforts rely too heavily on external funding.

The report comes amid growing recognition of the importance of IPC in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report calls on member states to strengthen commitments to IPC through increased financial and policy support, adding that the commitment is essential to building resilient health systems that can withstand future health emergencies while providing daily safe care. Enditem

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