Chlorhexidine for Umbilical Cord Care
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Source: Photoshare/Khussheed Masood |
Two recent studies published in The Lancet have demonstrated that a 4 percent chlorhexidine solution is an effective intervention to reduce neonatal infection and mortality when applied to the umbilical cord within hours of birth. The adoption and application of chlorhexidine in high risk, low resource settings has the potential to drastically reduce neonatal mortality.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) supported research is strengthening the evidence base on infection management in young infants, especially in community-based settings. In Bangladesh, a randomized controlled trial of over 29,000 infants found that cleansing a newborn’s umbilical cord with chlorhexidine reduced an infant’s risk of infection and death by 20 percent. In Pakistan, in a sample of 9,741 newborns cord cleansing reduced the risk of infection in babies by 42 percent and mortality by 38 percent. These studies support earlier research in Nepal, which showed that cleansing the umbilical cord with chlorhexidine resulted in a 24 percent decrease in mortality compared to children who received dry-cord umbilical care. Following a piloting of this intervention using the existing maternal and child health platform, USAID in partnership with the government of Nepal, is supporting the first scale-up of chlorhexidine at a national level.
Although World Health Organization guidelines recommend clean and dry umbilical cord care, they also state that “In settings where the risk of bacterial infection is high, it may be prudent to apply an antiseptic to the cord per local preference;” Chlorhexidine is an antiseptic with a broad spectrum of activity against bacteria, has been used extensively in health care settings as a pre‐surgical and an oral antiseptic, has a good safety profile, is widely available and is inexpensive.
| "Giving birth and a child's first week is a risky time for a mother and her newborn," said Dr. Rajiv Shah, the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. "These studies provide evidence of a simple, low-cost technology that can prevent illness and death for the most vulnerable children. USAID is committed to transforming research into better results and access to life saving interventions." |
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