Prevalence of infections and use of antibiotics among hospitalized patients in Mauritius. A nationwide survey for the planning of a national infection control programme.

As part of a programme for improving hospital infection control in Mauritius a nationwide survey, including a prevalence study, was carried out in order to identify characteristics of the hospitals, the population, and the infections. Community-acquired infections were three times more prevalent than nosocomial infections: 15.0% and 4.9%, respectively. Surgical wound infection was by far the most common nosocomial infection, with a prevalence rate of 8.2 per 100 operations, followed by urinary tract infection with a low rate of 0.8 per 100 admissions. The survey showed that these hospitals in Mauritius housed mainly a young population (mean of 36.8 years for females and 39.4 years for males) with few risk factors for acquiring nosocomial infection. Although diabetes mellitus is prevalent in Mauritius the diagnosis of diabetes was not associated with nosocomial infection. The spectrum of operations offered was limited, and Caesarean section was the most prevalent operation. The amount and types of antibiotics used in hospitalized patients were recorded. More than one third of the patients received antibiotic treatment at the time of the survey, which is comparable to figures reported from large teaching hospitals in Western Europe. The information gathered from the survey, the interviews and the inspection were used to establish priorities for a collaborative programme for improved infection control. It included the draft of a set of custom-made guidelines, which were eventually studied by staff members from hospitals in Mauritius during a training period in Denmark. We believe that a prevalence survey is useful for initiating infection control programmes in hospitals in developing countries.