Nosocomial infections or hospital-acquired infections (HAI), are
a major public health problem in hospitals worldwide, accompanied
by high rate of morbidities and mortality among hospitalized
patients. The burden of HAI is already substantial in developed
countries, where it affects from 5% to 15% of hospitalized patients
in regular wards and as many as 50% or more of patients in intensive
care units (ICUs). In developing countries, the magnitude
of the problem has remained underestimated or even unknown
mostly because HAI diagnosis is complex and surveillance activities
to guide interventions require expertise and enough resources.