Ahmed AY, Ahmed AY. Hospital acquired infections in Mogadishu: A review of infection prevention and control practices, and implications for antimicrobial resistance. World J Clin Infect Dis 2026; 15(1): 116095 [DOI: 10.5495/wjcid.116095]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Abdulrazaq Yusuf Ahmed, MD, PhD, Academic Fellow, Professor, Senior Researcher, Health Leadership, Federal Ministry of Health Somalia, Londra Street, Mogadishu 252, Banaadir, Somalia. drjalaal@hotmail.com
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Infectious Diseases
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review-article
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Ahmed AY, Ahmed AY. Hospital acquired infections in Mogadishu: A review of infection prevention and control practices, and implications for antimicrobial resistance. World J Clin Infect Dis 2026; 15(1): 116095 [DOI: 10.5495/wjcid.116095]
World J Clin Infect Dis. Sep 8, 2026; 15(1): 116095 Published online Sep 8, 2026. doi: 10.5495/wjcid.116095
Hospital acquired infections in Mogadishu: A review of infection prevention and control practices, and implications for antimicrobial resistance
Abdulrazaq Yusuf Ahmed, Abdirahman Y Ahmed
Abdulrazaq Yusuf Ahmed, Health Leadership, Federal Ministry of Health Somalia, Mogadishu 252, Banaadir, Somalia
Abdirahman Y Ahmed, Research and Training, Darul Hikma University, Mogadishu 252, Banaadir, Somalia
Co-first authors: Abdulrazaq Yusuf Ahmed and Abdirahman Y Ahmed.
Author contributions: Ahmed AY and Ahmed AY contributed to methodology, data synthesis, and review and edit the manuscript, and they contributed equally to this manuscript as co-first authors; Ahmed AY contributed to conceptualization, formal analysis and interpretation, original draft, supervision, and policy contextualization. All authors approved the final manuscript and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Abdulrazaq Yusuf Ahmed, MD, PhD, Academic Fellow, Professor, Senior Researcher, Health Leadership, Federal Ministry of Health Somalia, Londra Street, Mogadishu 252, Banaadir, Somalia. drjalaal@hotmail.com
Received: November 2, 2025 Revised: January 4, 2026 Accepted: April 15, 2026 Published online: September 8, 2026 Processing time: 309 Days and 7.1 Hours
Abstract
Healthcare associated infections (HAIs) remain a major but under documented threat to patient safety in low resource and conflict affected settings. Somalia’s prolonged health system fragility increases vulnerability to HAIs and the concurrent escalation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This minireview synthesises available evidence on infection prevention and control (IPC) practices in Mogadishu hospitals and examines implications for AMR. A narrative review was undertaken using empirical studies and grey literature from Mogadishu hospitals (including Benadir, Macaani and De Martino), complemented by international guidance and surveillance reports. Sources describing IPC practices, compliance indicators, HAI patterns, or AMR related outcomes were included and synthesised thematically. Globally, HAI prevalence is reported at approximately 7% in high income settings and 10%-15% in low and middle-income settings. In Mogadishu, formal HAI surveillance remains limited; available studies indicate low IPC compliance, including hand hygiene after wound care (46%) and routine glove use (23%) in a tertiary facility. During the coronavirus disease 2019 period, satisfactory IPC compliance was reported in 58.3% of healthcare workers at De Martino Hospital, with poorer adherence among ancillary staff. Basic water, sanitation, and hygiene and IPC supplies (including water, soap, alcohol-based hand rubs and appropriate waste segregation materials) were inconsistently available across facilities. These gaps coincide with a high national AMR burden; a global burden analysis estimated 8400 deaths attributable to bacterial AMR in Somalia in 2019. HAIs in Mogadishu hospitals constitute a substantial yet largely preventable public health problem. Strengthening IPC governance, supplies, training and surveillance is essential to reduce HAIs and mitigate AMR.
Core Tip: This minireview demonstrates that hospital-acquired infections are a substantial, yet largely unmeasured, threat in Mogadishu’s resource-constrained hospitals, where hand hygiene, waste segregation, isolation capacity, and staff training remain critically weak. By explicitly linking these infection prevention and control (IPC) gaps to escalating antimicrobial resistance and high preventable mortality, the paper argues for urgent national IPC standards, hospital-level IPC committees, routine surveillance, and integrated antimicrobial stewardship as cost-effective levers to protect patients, staff, and the wider community.
