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WHO recommends 29 ways to stop surgical infections and avoid superbugs

People preparing for surgery should always have a bath or shower but not be shaved, and antibiotics should only be used to prevent infections before and during surgery , not afterwards, according to new guidelines from WHO that aim to save lives, cut costs and arrest the spread of superbugs.

The "Global Guidelines for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection" includes a list of 29 concrete recommendations distilled by 20 of the world’s leading experts from 26 reviews of the latest evidence. The recommendations were also published today in "The Lancet Infectious Diseases" and are designed to address the increasing burden of health care associated infections on both patients and health care systems globally.

"No one should get sick while seeking or receiving care," said Dr Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Health Systems and Innovation.…