CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
``Prevention is better than cure``
Prevention of infection of any kind is an integral part of nursing care
delivery in any setting to reduce risk of mortality and mobility among patients and
care gives at all levels. Basic principles of infection prevention are simple and
include maintenance of personal enviournment hygiene particularly hand washing,
technique of gowning, gloving and use of mask etc.
Sepsis is an invasive infection of the body that is spread by the bloodstream.
Newborns who develop sepsis become clinically ill. Many bacteria and viruses
produce sepsis in newborns. Early-onset sepsis is a blood infection that occurs
before the seventh 18 day of life. Late-onset sepsis occurs at or after the seventh
day of life.
Neonatal sepsis remains as an important cause of mortality and mobility
among infants in developing countries accountancy for 30-50% of total deaths each
year. In India infant mortality rate is still high compared to developed countries.
One million newborn infants die every year because of neonatal infections and
50% of infants deaths occurs during the first four weeks of life due to the neonatal
sepsis Two third of the babies in our country are born at home and are at higher
risk of developing Sepsis, Babies born in hospital may also develop infection at
home after getting discharged from the hospital.
The common source of infections are unhygienic practice during delivery in
dark dirty room, cord cut with any available sharp instrument and the baby
wrapped in old dirty cloths and other practices that increases the risk of infection
include harmful application to the cord.
W.H.O in its studies stated that 1/3 neonatal deaths occurs due to improper
care or due to infection for example, Pneumonia, tetanus, Neonatal...