Infection Control in Bolivia

National Health Laboratory Institute Leading Infection Control Efforts in Bolivia

The Pan American Health Organization has designated Bolivia, one of the poorest countries in the Americas, a high-priority country for its focus. The Ministry of Health in Bolivia deems the spread of health-care acquired infections and infection control in hospitals as major national issues.

Given this, PAHEF jumped at the opportunity to help address the need for infection control by supporting efforts of the National Institute of Health Laboratories (INLASA). In fact, some of these efforts would not have been possible without the generosity of the People of Taiwan . PAHEF and INLASA are both thankful for their support.

Together these efforts focused on the development of

• an integrated infection control and antibiotic utilization program in seven hospitals in the cities of La Paz and El Alto
• an integrated computerized network of 25 leading regional hospital clinical microbiology laboratories linked to its reference laboratory in La Paz .
• the National Registry of Health Care-Acquired Infections and Antibiotic Susceptibility
• manuals on the isolation and identification of gram negative pathogens, enterococci, and Staphylococcus aureus associated with hospital-acquired infections