Maternal health programme cuts infection deaths by 32%

Structured infection prevention and treatment cuts maternal deaths and severe complications by nearly one-third, a trial in 59 hospitals has found.

The APT-Sepsis intervention, tested on more than 430,000 women in Malawi and Uganda, showed that systematic improvements in hygiene, infection management and sepsis care reduced maternal mortality in low-resource settings.

Maternal sepsis, a life-threatening response to infection that causes organ dysfunction, kills one mother every 30 minutes globally.

The burden falls heaviest on women in low and middle-income countries where healthcare resources are limited.

The Active Prevention and Treatment of Maternal Sepsis programme, developed by researchers at the University of Liverpool, the World Health Organization and the UN’s Special Programme in Human Reproduction, focused on three key areas: improving hand hygiene compliance, strengthening infection prevention practices, and implementing the FAST-M sepsis bundle for rapid treatment.

The FAST-M bundle provides a structured approach to sepsis care: fluids for resuscitation, antibiotics to fight infection, source control to address the infection’s origin, transfer to appropriate facilities when needed, and continuous monitoring of the patient’s condition.

Results showed the intervention’s effectiveness increased over time, achieving a 47 per cent reduction in infection-related deaths and complications by the final month of the trial.#

The programme proved equally effective in both participating countries and required no costly additional resources beyond training and protocol implementation.

David Lissauer is NIHR professor of global maternal and foetal health at the University of Liverpool.

The researcher said: “These results are hugely significant.

“For too long, maternal sepsis has been a leading but neglected cause of preventable maternal deaths worldwide.

“Our findings demonstrate that APT-Sepsis provides a practical, sustainable, and effective solution.

“With a 32 per cent reduction in infection-related maternal deaths and life-threatening complications, this programme has the potential to transform care.

“Policymakers now have compelling evidence to scale up these interventions so that fewer women die from preventable infections during pregnancy and childbirth.

The programme achieved its results by supporting healthcare workers to adopt evidence-based practices within existing health systems.

Staff received training on hand hygiene standards, infection prevention protocols, and early sepsis detection methods.

Jeremy Farrar, assistant director-general at WHO, emphasised the broader implications: “The APT-Sepsis programme is a testament to what can be achieved when science, policy and frontline care come together.

“Reducing maternal infections and deaths by over 30 per cent is not just a clinical success – it’s a call to action for global health systems to prioritise infection prevention in maternal care.

“We must ensure these life-saving practices are scaled and sustained across all settings.”