Obstetric Care in Developing Countries

The most common global cause for peripartum infection is cesarean section for which the WHO, World Health Organization, recommends surgical aseptic techniques and the use of prophylactic antibiotics. Globally, the use of prophylactic antibiotics, with a single dose of first-generation cephalosporin or penicillin before incision, varies widely among institutions. Worldwide maternal sepsis is estimated at 5.7 million cases per year for 4.4% of live births, with the highest incidence in low- and middle-income countries at 7%. Despite antibiotic prophylaxis recommendations from the WHO, infection remains a leading cause of peripartum mortality from the onset of labor to the 42nd postpartum day (Bonet et al., Lancet 3(11):E667–E668, 2015).