PAHO Urges Enhanced Safety Measures for Newborns and Children on World Patient Safety Day 2025

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is calling on governments, health professionals, and communities across the Americas to prioritize safe and equitable care for newborns and children, coinciding with World Patient Safety Day 2025.

 

Under the theme "Patient safety from the start!", this year's campaign highlights the unique vulnerabilities of newborns and children, who face increased risks of harm in healthcare settings due to their rapid development and specific needs.

 

Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO Director, emphasized, "Every newborn and every child deserves safe, high-quality care from the very first moment of life." He noted that preventable errors such as medication mistakes, misdiagnoses, or healthcare-associated infections threaten the future of the most vulnerable.

 

In 2020, Latin America and the Caribbean reported that 8.9% of live births—over 800,000 babies—were premature or small for their gestational age, facing increased risks of preventable conditions such as sepsis, congenital anomalies, and intrapartum complications. Neonatal mortality accounts for more than 50% of child deaths in the region, with prematurity and sepsis among the leading causes.

 

To address these challenges, PAHO promotes simple yet effective measures, including handwashing, administration of antenatal steroids, and skin-to-skin contact (kangaroo method), which could prevent a significant proportion of deaths in premature babies.

 

In October 2024, PAHO adopted the "Strategy and Plan of Action to reduce the burden of sepsis (2025–2029)," focusing on awareness-raising, infection prevention—including vaccination—hospital hygiene, and equitable access to diagnosis and care, especially for vulnerable populations.

 

Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one in ten patients suffers harm in healthcare settings due to errors in medication prescribing, diagnosis, or healthcare-associated infections. These risks also affect children and newborns, who are particularly vulnerable. More than half of this harm is preventable.

 

To mark World Patient Safety Day, PAHO will hold a regional webinar on September 23 at 10:00 a.m. (EDT), featuring experts from Argentina, Brazil, Honduras, the United States, and Caribbean countries. The event will address best practices in child patient safety, digital health, neonatal sepsis prevention, and the role of parents as active partners in care.

 

On September 17, iconic monuments around the world will light up in orange as a symbol of solidarity, representing a collective commitment to safe care from the very beginning of life.