Ward-acquired infections at a private academic hospital in Johannesburg dropped significantly after a new system for infection prevention and control was established, a study has found.Pneumonia associated with ventilators in the intensive care unit at the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre, in Parktown, have decreased by 42% and central-line-associated bloodstream infections in the unit were eliminated over three years.In South Africa an estimated 10% to 20% of patients are at risk of getting infected in hospital, often by multidrug-resistant bacteria, known as "superbugs".The success of the innovative surveillance system at the Donald Gordon proved that proactive monitoring contributed to a decrease in infection rates.Few healthcare facilities had an in-depth understanding of their hospital-acquired infections, reported Wits University's Warren Lowman, author of the report on the Donald Gordon study, which appeared in this month's edition of the SA Medical Journal.The surveillance system introduced at Donald Gordon was believed to be the first of its kind in South Africa, said Lowman.Each department at the hospital monitored the devices cited in the transmission of infections, such as ventilators .If infections are picked up immediately it is possible to control them before much harm is caused...