WHO published recommendations for management of serious bacterial infection in young infants aged 0-59 days

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for management of serious bacterial infections in infants aged 0-59 days were published on December 9, 2024. Dr. Anne CC Lee and Dr. Krysten North led the WHO Guidelines Development Group Evidence Synthesis Team and Global AIM conducted a series of systematic reviews (published in an August 2024 supplement to Pediatrics Journal) that informed the new guidelines issued by the WHO Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Aging (MCA) Unit.

The new WHO guidelines include recommendations on diagnosis as well as first-line empiric antibiotic treatment of the most critically ill infants aged 0-59 days with suspected sepsis, meningitis and pneumonia in both hospital and non-hospital settings. These WHO guidelines address key evidence gaps in this clinical area, and the recommendations will be incorporated into clinical tools such as the WHO Pocket book of hospital care for children. The guidelines will inform research priorities, implementation considerations, and development of policies and programs to improve the care of infants with serious bacterial infections globally.