To evaluate the effectiveness of an intensive hand hygiene campaign on reducing absenteeism caused by influenza-like illness (ILI), diarrhea, conjunctivitis, and laboratory-confirmed influenza, we conducted a randomized control trial in 60 elementary schools in Cairo, Egypt. Children in the intervention schools were required to wash hands twice each day, and health messages were provided through entertainment activities. Data were collected on student absenteeism and reasons for illness. School nurses collected nasal swabs from students with ILI, which were tested by using a qualitative diagnostic test for influenza A and B. Compared with results for the control group, in the intervention group, overall absences caused by ILI, diarrhea, conjunctivitis, and laboratory-confirmed influenza were reduced by 40%, 30%, 67%, and 50%, respectively (p<0.0001 for each illness). An intensive hand hygiene campaign was effective in reducing absenteeism caused by these illnesses.

Inappropriate antibiotic use leads to increased risk of antibiotic resistance and other adverse outcomes. The objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence and characteristics of antibiotic use in Egyptian hospitals to identify opportunities for quality improvement. A point prevalence survey was conducted in 18 hospitals in March 2011. A total of 3408 patients were included and 59% received at least one antibiotic, with the most significant use among persons <12 years and intensive care unit patients (p < 0.05). Third generation cephalosporin were the most commonly prescribed antibiotics (28.7% of prescriptions). Reasons for antibiotic use included treatment of community—(27%) and healthcare-associated infections (11%) and surgical (39%) and medical (23%) prophylaxis. Among surgical prophylaxis recipients, only 28% of evaluable cases received the first dose within two hours before incision and only 25% of cases received surgical prophylaxis for <24 h. The prevalence of antibiotic use in Egyptian hospitals was high with obvious targets for antimicrobial stewardship activities including provision of antibiotic prescription guidelines and optimization of surgical and medical prophylaxis practices.

Overuse of antibiotics has contributed to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria globally. In Egypt, patients can purchase antibiotics without a prescription, and we hypothesized frequent inappropriate antibiotic prescribing and dispensing. We interviewed physicians (n = 236) and pharmacists (n = 483) and conducted focus groups in Minya, Egypt, to assess attitudes and practices regarding antibiotic prescribing for outpatient acute respiratory infections (ARI). Antibiotics were reportedly prescribed most of the time or sometimes for colds by 150 (64%) physicians and 326 (81%) pharmacists. The most commonly prescribed antibiotics were β-lactams. Macrolides were the second most commonly prescribed for colds and sinusitis. The prescription of more than one antibiotic to treat pneumonia was reported by 85% of physicians. Most respondents thought antibiotic overuse contributes to resistance and reported “patient self-medication” as the biggest driver of overuse. Fifty physicians (21%) reported that they had prescribed antibiotics unnecessarily, citing patient over-the-counter access as the reason. Physicians <40 years of age and those who treat adults were more likely to prescribe antibiotics for colds. Overall, we found a high rate of unwarranted outpatient antibiotic prescribing and dispensing for ARIs. Patient access to OTC antibiotics contributes to over-prescribing. National guidelines for ARI treatment, provider education and national policy requiring a physician’s prescription for antibiotics may improve appropriate antibiotic use in Egypt.

Objective.: To report type and rates of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) as well as pathogen distribution and antimicrobial resistance patterns from a pilot HAI surveillance system in Egypt.Methods.: Prospective surveillance was conducted from April 2011 through March 2012 in 46 intensive care units (ICUs) in Egypt. Definitions were adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network. Trained healthcare workers identified HAIs and recorded data on clinical symptoms and up to 4 pathogens. A convenience sample of clinical isolates was tested for antimicrobial resistance at a central reference laboratory. Multidrug resistance was defined by international consensus criteria.Results.: ICUs from 11 hospitals collected 90,515 patient-days of surveillance data. Of 472 HAIs identified, 47% were pneumonia, 22% were bloodstream infections, and 15% were urinary tract infections; case fatality among HAI case patients was 43%. The highest rate of device-associated infections was reported for ventilator-associated pneumonia (pooled mean rate, 7.47 cases per 1,000 ventilator-days). The most common pathogens reported were Acinetobacter species (21.8%) and Klebsiella species (18.4%). All Acinetobacter isolates tested (31/31) were multidrug resistant, and 71% (17/24) of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates were extended-spectrum β-lactamase producers.Conclusions.: Infection control priorities in Egypt should include preventing pneumonia and preventing infections due to antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.

Viral hepatitis is a major problem in Egypt. To define the epidemiology of the disease, sentinel surveillance was established in 5 hospitals in diverse areas of the country in 2001. Data were completed for patients meeting the case definition for viral hepatitis. Of a total of 5909 patients evaluated, 4189 (70.9%) showed positive antibody markers for hepatitis. Out of those, 40.2% had evidence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection, 30.0% hepatitis B virus (HBV) and 29.8% hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. This surveillance system was useful in identifying the variable endemicity of acute HAV infection in different regions and for better understanding the epidemiology of HBV and HCV infection.