Background: Injection overuse and unsafe injection practices facilitate transmission of bloodborne pathogens such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Anecdotal reports of unsafe and unnecessary therapeutic injections and the high prevalence of HBV (8.0%), HCV (6.5%), and HIV (2.6%) infection in Cambodia have raised concern over injection safety. To estimate the magnitude and patterns of such practices, a rapid assessment of injection practices was conducted.

Introduction: In Cambodia, we implemented a pilot surveillance of superficial surgical site infections (SSSI) following caesarean deliveries (CD) in a provincial hospital, to estimate their incidence, describe their clinical management, and determine their causative pathogens. Methodology: Between October 2010 and February 2011, all women admitted for CD were included in the surveillance. Their clinical condition was monitored for a post-operative period of 30 days, including two assessments performed by surgeons. Cases were clinically diagnosed by surgeons, with bacterial cultures performed. Results: Of the 222 patients admitted for CD, 176 (79.3%) were monitored for 30 days. Of these, 11 were diagnosed with a SSSI, giving an incidence rate of 6.25% (95% CI 3.2-10.9). Four of the cases (36.4%) were detected after hospital discharge. Length of hospitalization was significantly longer for the SSSI cases. All 222 patients were prescribed antibiotics. Ampicillin was administered intravenously to 98.6% of them, with subsequent oral amoxicillin given to 82.9%. Three of six pus samples collected were positive on culture: two with Staphylococcus aureus and one with Staphylococcus lugdunensis. One S.aureus was methicillin resistant (MRSA). The other was clindamycin and erythromycin resistant. Conclusion: Surveillance of health-care associated infections in a setting with limited resources is challenging but feasible. Effective postdischarge surveillance was essential for the estimation of the incidence rate of SSSI following caesarean deliveries. This surveillance led to a peer-review of medical practices.

Melioidosis is an endemic infection in Cambodia, a lower middle income SE Asian country. Despite more laboratories isolating and identifying Burkholderia pseudomallei in recent years, the infection remains under-recognised and under-diagnosed, particularly in the adult population. Lack of knowledge about the disease and lack of utilization of microbiology laboratories contributes to this, along with laboratory capacity issues. Treatment costs often hamper optimal management. In response to these issues, a national one-health training event was held in October 2017 to raise awareness of the disease amongst clinical, laboratory, and public health professionals. The meeting format, findings, and outcomes are described here.

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