Read online: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123611
Extracts and a comment from me below:
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A major multi-country study has found that WHO-recommended first-line antibiotics for neonatal sepsis are likely to be effective in only one quarter of infections in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
(Tuesday, 21 April 2026, Munich, Germany) A major multi-country study has found that WHO-recommended first-line antibiotics for neonatal sepsis are likely to be effective in only one quarter of infections in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).1 The findings, presented today at ESCMID Global 2026, highlight the growing impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Neonatal sepsis, a life-threatening infection occurring within the first month of life, remains a leading cause of newborn mortality worldwide.2 The World Health Organization (WHO) currently recommends ampicillin plus gentamicin as first-line empirical antibiotic therapy – treatment initiated before the causative organism and its antibiotic susceptibility are known. However, these recommendations are largely based on data from high-income settings.
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COMMENT (NPW): The way this article is worded is in my view misleading. It implies that WHO guidelines have little if any value, and that WHO bases its guidance on high-income countries. The real 'news' in this context is that antimicrobial resistance to previously recommended antibiotics is getting out of control. The irony is that the surge in antibiotic resistance is likely due largely to failure of knowledge translation of existing guidelines. We can be sure that WHO will revisit the guidance as soon as possible in the light of this and other research.
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org