Improving Hygiene Practices to Prevent Maternal and Neonatal Infections in Healthcare and Communities in Benin: Findings and Policy Recommendations.

Maternal and neonatal health remains a major challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, with high mortality rates also observed in Benin. This policy brief summarizes findings from two hygiene and infection prevention and control (IPC) projects implemented in Benin between 2023 and 2025 and translates them into prioritized policy recommendations. Findings are drawn from a baseline survey of 169 healthcare workers across six hospitals, focus group discussions with 42 community health workers (CHW), structured interviews and stakeholder consultations, and outcomes of two structured training programs. Throughout this brief, we distinguish empirical findings from our projects from recommendations informed by stakeholder consultation and the wider evidence base. Key recommendations include improving the compliance with hygiene protocols and upgrading infrastructure in healthcare facilities, such as installing hand hygiene stations for better hand hygiene, creating isolation rooms for infected patients and improving toilet facilities. Additional measures we propose include strengthening diagnostic capacity, promoting community health education, integrating IPC measures into national health policies, promoting antimicrobial stewardship, and fostering collaboration among government, the private and public sectors, healthcare professionals, communities, and international partners to ensure sustainable solutions. While our projects were not designed to directly measure reductions in infection incidence, the findings are consistent with evidence from comparable settings showing that similar interventions can reduce healthcare-associated infections. Consistent implementation of these measures, combined with routine monitoring, could support progress toward Benin's Sustainable Development Goal target for maternal and neonatal mortality.