Something old makes something new: a drug with antiseptic power could save hundreds of thousands of lives

February 23, 2016 by Tracy Romoser

Maternal, newborn, and child health Devices Drugs Kenya

Essential. Necessary. This is what we call a simple medicine with great potential to save the most vulnerable population—babies.

A newborn swaddled in a yellow blanket.

Few interventions show as much promise as chlorhexidine to rapidly reduce newborn deaths. Photo: PATH/Gabe Bienczycki.

You’ll find it in products like mouth washes and hand sanitizers. It’s strong enough to kill staph infections and yet, at the proper dose, it’s gentle enough for a baby.

Meet a new formulation of a decades-old medicine, 7.1 percent chlorhexidine digluconate.

Protecting newborns during their first days of life

The simple act of cutting the umbilical cord can create an entry point for bacteria that can cause newborn sepsis and death. Sepsis is an unnecessary tragedy resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands of newborns each year in developing countries. However, when the inexpensive and effective 7.1 percent chlorhexidine digluconate is applied on and around the freshly cut umbilical cord of newborns, it can help prevent deadly bacteria from entering their bodies.

“The impact: An estimated 1 million newborns could be saved over the next 15 years at a cost of less than US$0.50 per dose by scaling up use of chlorhexidine.”
Young infant lying atop a blanket being dressed.

Simply applying chlorhexidine around the freshly cut umbilical cord of newborns can help prevent deadly bacteria from entering their bodies. Photo: PATH/Evelyn Hockstein.

When it comes to saving lives, an ounce of prevention should be affordable

The World Health Organization now recommends applying 7.1 percent chlorhexidine digluconate to the umbilical cords of newborns for the first week of life in home birth settings where neonatal mortality is high. And at less than US$0.50 per dose, few interventions show as much promise to rapidly reduce newborn deaths at such an affordable cost.

The Chlorhexidine Working Group, an international consortium led by PATH, is taking steps to advance this new formulation of chlorhexidine for umbilical cord care globally. Now more than 10 countries are introducing chlorhexidine and 15 more countries are interested. In Kenya, PATH is leading the way in this important work.

How a simple drug delivers a big impact

Woman holding an infant, standing in front of a door with a pink blanket hanging in front of it.

It’s rare a lifesaving product can be so flexible that it’s equally effective no matter who uses it. Photo: PATH/Evelyn Hockstein.

Right now, PATH is supporting the Kenyan Ministry of Health (MOH) to introduce and scale up this important intervention. The first phase is taking place across five counties in the Western and Nyanza regions where PATH leads the APHIAplus project. Prior to this, PATH worked with the Kenyan MOH to train staff at 28 major county, sub-county, and private facilities. These facilities then provided training to lower-level facilities. So far, approximately 16,000 doses have been dispensed at 215 health facilities in these counties. We aim to reach 430 facilities by the end of February 2016.

By increasing access to chlorhexidine in Kenya and globally, babies will get a better chance to live and thrive, and families can look forward to the future.

Support for this project is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the terms of the HealthTech V Cooperative Agreement #AID-OAA-A-11-00051. The contents are the responsibility of PATH and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the US Government.