Date: Tuesday May 5, 2026
Time: 09:30 a.m. (Eastern Time)
Languages: Spanish with simultaneous translation to english and portuguese.
Context
Every day, in all health care facilities, health care–associated infections (HAIs) continue to pose a significant threat. These infections contribute to the burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), cause suffering to patients, their families, and health care workers, and can lead to premature death and disability. In addition, they increase health care costs and hinder efforts to ensure safe, high quality care for all people.
A considerable proportion of preventable infections acquired during the provision of health care could be avoided through the timely implementation of hand hygiene and other infection prevention and control (IPC) measures.
Every pregnancy, every delivery and/ or every newborn is at risk of infections that could trigger sepsis. In Latin America and the Caribbean, two women die every day from obstetric sepsis, and one in ten neonatal deaths is due to sepsis. In this webinar, we will address hand hygiene as a simple and cost effective action to prevent maternal and neonatal sepsis
Meeting Recording
Objectives
• Encourage healthcare teams to practice hand hygiene during their workday in accordance with the Five Moments for Hand Hygiene established by the WHO.
• To contribute reduce preventable maternal deaths by promoting hand hygiene as a tool available to all healthcare workers.
Agenda
9:30 - 9:35
Welcome Remarks
Angel Rodriguez - Chairperson. Advisor, Clinical Management of Infectious Diseases
9:35 - 9:40
Greetings and Message for World Hand Hygiene Day, 2026
Jarbas Barbosa. Director PAHO/WHO
9:40 – 9:50
Online Survey: Getting to Know Our Audience
Angel Rodriguez - Chairperson
09:50 – 10:10
Presentation: Hand hygiene saves maternal and neonatal lives in the 21st century
Mercedes Bonet, Scientist. Department of Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Child, Adolescent Health and Ageing World Health Organization
10:10 - 10:30
Talking with Experts: Insights, Questions, and Answers on the Role of Hand Hygiene in Preventing Maternal and Neonatal Sepsis.
Conversation moderated by: Rodolfo Gómez-Ponce de León PAHO Maternal, Sexual and Reproductive Health Regional Adviser and Pablo Durán PAHO Perinatal Health Regional Adviser.
- Jovita Ortiz, Associate Professor at the University of Chile. Director of the Department of Women's and Newborn Health Promotion.
- Fernando Espinoza, Neonatologist, Hospital Epidemiologist, and Member of the Board of Directors of the Latin American Association for Infection Control (ASLACI)
- Mercedes Bonet Scientist Department of Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Child, Adolescent Health and Ageing World Health Organization
10:30 - 10:35
Closing Remarks
Pilar Ramon-Pardo, Chief, Antimicrobial Resistance Special Program Communicable Diseases Prevention, Control and Elimination Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization