Season 14 • Episode 1099

Saving Babies' Lives by Preventing Neonatal Sepsis

Aug 31, 2026

12:30

Global Health Antimicrobial Resistance Neonatal / NICU Infectious Disease Children's Health Public Health Health Policy Sepsis

Episode Description

About this episode:

Global infant mortality has fallen dramatically since 1990, but neonatal sepsis—a serious bloodstream infection occurring in newborns—still accounts for a significant portion of preventable deaths. Simple interventions like good hygiene practices and sufficient staffing in delivery rooms could reduce infections and prevent fatalities. In this episode: Pablo Duran, a perinatal health expert with the Pan American Health Organization, explains how providers, parents, and public health can prevent, recognize, and treat neonatal sepsis early on for better outcomes.

Guest:

Dr. Pablo Duran, PhD, MPH, is a pediatrician and neonatologist who serves as the regional advisor on perinatal health for the Pan American Health Organization.

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. He served as the Baltimore City Commissioner of Health from 2005 to 2009.

Show links and related content:

A Simple Action, a Major Impact: Hand Hygiene Against Maternal and Neonatal Sepsis—Pan American Health Organization
Strategies to prevent, detect, and treat neonatal sepsis in the face of AMR—PAHO TV via YouTube

Transcript information:

Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.

Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.