Infection control and antibiotic resistance: most effective solutions discussed at RSU conference
To draw the attention of the wider public and professionals to current issues regarding the causes of infections and ways to reduce their spread in healthcare facilities, Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) and the Riga East University Hospital invite you to the scientific, practical conference entitled ‘Nosocomial Infections: Inevitable and Preventable. Facts and Tips’. The conference will take place on 26 February 2026 in the RSU Great Hall at 16 Dzirciema iela, Riga, and registration is now open.
Nosocomial infections (healthcare-associated infections, HAIs), which are infections acquired in healthcare facilities, present a significant public health challenge. Data from international medical practice show that approximately 7–20% of patients acquire at least one such infection during treatment. This figure is closely related to the quality of healthcare and the effectiveness of safety measures. Patients in a more serious health condition require hospitalisation, which inevitably involves contact with various pathogens. This can place an additional burden on a weakened body, highlighting the importance of infection prevention and control in everyday clinical practice.
‘Infections acquired in hospitals often go unnoticed, but they pose a serious risk to the safety of patients and medical staff. The good news is that some of these infections can be prevented.
That is why it was important to take an honest look at the situation in Latvia, understand what is already working, and identify what still needs to be done in terms of prevention,’ says Prof. Dr. habil. med. Ludmila Vīksna, Head of the RSU Department of Infectious Diseases, Advisor to the Board of Riga East University Hospital on strategic issues in infectious diseases and lead researcher for the RSU and Riga East University Hospital project ‘Development of criteria for limiting nosocomial infections and optimization of healthcare resources with application algorithms and roadmaps’.
Conference: theory, research, and practical solutions
The conference will bring together healthcare, microbiology, and epidemiology professionals, researchers, and students, offering both theoretical insights and discussions on the best and most effective solutions for infection management. Special attention will be paid to the aetiology of HAIs, antibiotic resistance, and environmental contamination factors, as well as data analysis obtained from a large-scale prospective and retrospective studies analysing thousands of microbiological analyses and more than 1,000 patient examinations.
The event is organised as part of the National Health Service pilot project ‘Development of criteria for limiting nosocomial infections and optimisation of healthcare resources with application algorithms and roadmaps’ No. NVD-9/103-2024 (NHS pilot project No. 12), within the framework of the project ‘Healthcare Service Model Development Laboratory’, and is financed by the EU Recovery Fund, Component 4 “Health”, 4.3.1.r. Reform ‘Sustainability of healthcare, strengthening of management, effective use of healthcare resources, increase in the total state budget for the healthcare sector’, and by state budget funds.
