Public health experts generally agree that after clean water and flush toilets, the most important health advances in history have been vaccinations.

Abstract: Objective: To estimate the prevalence of pediatric health care-associated infections (HAI) in Canadian acute care hospitals. Methods: A point-prevalence study conducted in February 2002 in 25 hospitals across Canada. Information on HAI, utilization of antimicrobial agents and invasive devices, isolation precautions, and microbial etiology was collected. Results: Nine hundred ninety-seven children were surveyed. Ninety-one HAI were detected in 80 patients for a prevalence of 91 per 1000 patients surveyed. Bloodstream infections were the most common HAI (3% of patients; 34% of all HAI). The prevalence of patients with HAI was 8%, ranging from 0% in trauma/bum units to 19% in the pediatric intensive care units, and 27% in transplant units. By multivariate logistic regression analysis, having a central venous catheter (OR, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.46-4.40) or endotracheal tube with mechanical ventilation (OR, 2.59; 95% CI, 1.16-5.76) were independently associated with an HAI, as were being in isolation (OR, 2.90; 95% CI, 1.54-5.45), and receiving antimicrobial agents (OR, 9.27; 95% CI, 4.71-18.52). Conclusion: In this first national point-prevalence study in Canada, the prevalence of HAI was similar to that reported in other industrialized countries. These data will also be useful to provide an estimate of the health burden of pediatric HAI in Canada.