The International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) has shown interest to include more hospitals in its multi centre research network to rate the nosocomial infections in the developing countries, including India.

The research for finding the rate of hospital acquired infections (HAI), prevalent in both developing and developed countries, is on for the last two years in India, with participation of major hospitals from Vellore, Bangalore, New Delhi and Mumbai .The research has proved that the rate of infection in the country is 5.6%, according to Dr Victor D. Rosenthal, director and co-ordinator, INICC.

He said that the research, conducted through Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, Tamil Nadu; Wockhardt Hospital, Bangalore; Escorts Hospitals and Research Centre, New Delhi and Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai, is to calculate the rates of infection, compare the rate with the standard rate set by INICC and the US, apply interventions to reduce infection and measure the consequences in health scenario.

The consortium is also focusing in providing training to health workers to measure the hospital infections and the methods to prevent it, by interventions like hand washing, vascular catheter care, urinary catheter care etc., without any cost.

About 80% of the infections are caused from Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the most frequent infections affected are blood stream infections (BSI), ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP). While the mortality rate without infection is 17%, VAP is the cause for 45% deaths and BSI responsible for 33% death, as per the research, added Rosenthal.

"The cost involved in HAI is around $5000 for one BSI in India, which is almost equivalent to the rate of Argentina. In the US, it is around $40,000 per BSI. The approximate cost involved in HAI globally will be around $32,000 per BSI," said Rosenthal to the media , who was here at the invitation of Baxter India, the subsidiary of Baxter International Inc., to generate awareness on HAI.

"The goal of INICC is to support all the developing countries in the campaign against HAI and is on a plan to set up a foundation specially for collecting funds for the campaign," he added.

He said that the consortium is looking for association with the hospitals in India for the campaign.

The INICC aims to accomplish the promotion of human health care from the perspective of evidence based medicine, scientific knowledge, methodology and programmes related with prevention, control, reduction and treatment of infections within the frame of excellence health care practices.