Managing water safety in healthcare. Part 1 – Strategies and approaches for waterborne pathogen control

Summaries in 2 parts are presented from a conference held in London at the Royal Society for Public Health on 16-17 May 2012, on the latest developments in dealing with waterborne hospital-acquired infections (nosocomial), from the UK perspective. Also included were some views from continental Europe. The first part, focuses on management strategies and plans that are either in use or recommended by domestic/international guidelines, such as the WHO, for prevention, control and risk assessment of disease outbreaks resulting from the presence of these pathogenic microorganisms in water appliances/supplies. Various solutions are discussed, some more effective than others, but all require a comprehensive strategy and technical expertise run by properly trained and dedicated professionals.