Sciensano coordinates the monitoring of healthcare-associated infections and prevention factors for Belgian hospitals and harmonizes this data for local (hospitals), regional (communities), national (FPS Public Health, BAPCOC) and international (ECDC) purposes.
- Sciensano’s Healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance service monitors the risk factors and consequences of healthcare-associated infections in Belgium.
- Sciensano publishes national and international reports concerning healthcare-associated infections.
- Sciensano organizes the monitoring for the national hand hygiene campaigns in Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
- Sciensano participates in European studies on healthcare-associated infections in acute and chronic healthcare settings and is the central contact point for the ECDC concerning healthcare-associated infections at European level.
- Sciensano , in close consultation with the regional authorities (AZG, AVIQ, COCOM), supports healthcare facilities suffering from outbreaks of bacteria that are difficult to treat. Sciensano’s Outbreak Support Team also studies the outbreaks in order to learn from them and acquire new knowledge.
The monitoring of healthcare-associated infections focuses on different types of hospitals and chronic care institutions, required by federal and regional laws and/or in the framework of European projects. On the one hand, Sciensano makes standard definitions and automated feedback systems available to healthcare institutions. On the other hand, Sciensano collects national reference data on the incidence of healthcare-associated infections and antibiotic resistance in Belgium. The Belgian Antibiotic Policy Coordination Committee (BAPCOC), established in 1999, oversees these protocols as well as awareness-raising campaigns in related areas.
View the Healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance service page for more information about the various activities in the context of healthcare-associated infections.