Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

A Review of Nosocomial Infections in Sub-Saharan Africa

Elizabeth N. Mbim, Clement I. Mboto, Bassey E. Agbo

Microbiology Research Journal International · pp. 1–11 · Published 27 May 2016

10.9734/BMRJ/2016/25895

Abstract

Nosocomial infections are a major public health problem globally and are on the increase despite efforts in hospital infection control measures and contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality.  Naturally, any micro-organism has the potential to cause infection in hospitalized patients however, only a few including Staphylococci, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococci, fungi and to a lesser extent, viruses and parasites are responsible for the majority of nosocomial infections. In sub-Saharan Africa, data available show that the incidence of nosocomial infections ranges from 2-49% with patients in intensive care units having the   highest rate ranging from 21.2-35.6%. The prevalence of nosocomial infections have  been reported  to vary  between 1.6%-28.7% in Burkina Faso, United Republic of Tanzania, Ghana, Mali, Cameroon, Gabon, Uganda, Burundi, Democratic republic of Congo and Senegal. In Nigeria and Ethiopia, the total accruing occurrence in surgical wards has been reported to vary from 5.7%-45.8% with the later having an incidence as high as 45.8% and an incidence density equal 26.7 infections per 1000 patient days in paediatric surgical patients. In addition, 3.4 -10.9% of hospital-associated infections often  result to mortality in most developed countries though these figures are suspected to be higher in developing countries of sub-Saharan Africa including Nigeria. However, simple and effective control programmes together with effective training of healthcare workers will go a long way in reducing the endemic nature of nosocomial infections in sub Saharan Africa. This paper highlights the natural history, distribution,   risk factors of nosocomial infections especially in sub Saharan Africa as well as its contributory factors.

Natural history distribution nosocomial infections Sub-Saharan Africa burden

Cited by 55

Determinants of Nosocomial Infections Among Hospitalized Patients in Kano, Nigeria: A Logistic Regression Analysis of Prevalence and Risk Factors

M. Masud · Nigerian Journal of Biotechnology and Life Sciences · 2026

Nasal Carriage Rate of Biofilm Producing Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Its Associated Factors Among Health Care Workers at Hospital of Central Ethiopia

Wubeshet Mathewos, Abera Kumalo, Takele Teklu · MicrobiologyOpen · 2026

Lack of Association Between qacE and qacE∆1 Gene Variants and Sodium Hypochlorite Resistance in Clinical Isolates of ESBL- and Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella spp. and Enterobacter spp., from Gaborone, Botswana

Pearl Ntshonga, T. Ntereke, T. Zankere · Antibiotics · 2025

Prevalence and associated factors of nosocomial infection among children admitted at Jimma Medical Center, Southwest Ethiopia: a retrospective study

Serkalem Aschalew Jima, Tamirat Beyene Gerete, Fikadu Balcha Hailu · Frontiers in Pediatrics · 2025

Bioassay-Guided Isolation of Antibacterial and Anti-Biofilm Compounds from Peltophorum africanum Sond. Stem and Mechanisms of Active Fractions Against Nosocomial Pathogens.

T. J. Mnisi, M. Matotoka, Ofentse Mazimba · Journal of Ethnopharmacology · 2025

Knowledge and attitude of nosocomial infection prevention and control precautions among healthcare personnel at Kiruddu Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda

Newton Ekakoro, Ritah Nakayinga, M. Kaddumukasa · BMC Health Services Research · 2025

Expression, Purification and Biophysical Characterisation of Klebsiella Pneumoniae Protein Adenylyltransferase: A Systematic Integration of Empirical and Computational Modelling Approaches

Reabetswe Maake, I. Achilonu · The Protein Journal · 2024

The Epidemiology of Spinal Neurosurgery in Nigeria: A Systematic Review and Patient-Level Analysis.

T. Malomo, S. Nischal, Yesel Trillo-Ordonez · World Neurosurgery · 2024

Reservoirs of Nosocomial Pathogens in Intensive Care Units: A Systematic Review

Abdul-Halim Osman, Samuel Darkwah, Fleischer C. N. Kotey · Environmental Health Insights · 2024

The Risk of Neonatal Healthcare-Associated Infections at Three Teaching Hospitals in Rwanda

A. Umuhoza, Vedaste Bagweneza, Innocent Mwiseneza · Rwanda Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences · 2023

Related research

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

0

Page views

0

PDF downloads

0

Outbound clicks

55

Citations

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

No views recorded yet.

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

No traffic recorded yet.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.