WHX Johannesburg spotlights infection control as drug-resistant infections rise

WHX Johannesburg is using its 2026 program to focus on infection prevention and control as South African hospitals face rising antimicrobial resistance and major gaps in frontline practice. The event, set for 6-8 October at Gallagher Convention Centre, will bring together healthcare leaders, suppliers and accreditation experts around safer care, quality systems and hospital readiness.

Why it matters: - Drug-resistant infections are making routine hospital care harder and raising the stakes for infection prevention and control across South Africa and the wider region. - South African hospitals face limited treatment options, with about 8 in 10 superbugs resistant to at least one last-resort antibiotic. - Safer sterilisation, disinfectant systems and single-use supplies are now central to reducing healthcare-associated infections and cross-contamination risks.

What happened: - WHX Johannesburg is putting infection prevention at the center of its 2026 program. - The event runs from 6-8 October at Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg. - The Quality Management & Patient Safety Indaba takes place on 8 October as part of WHX. - The broader WHX program also includes the Healthcare Excellence Indaba on 6 October and the Labs Leadership Indaba on 7 October. - WHX is expected to convene thousands of healthcare leaders, innovators and suppliers from across Africa and beyond.

The details: - South Africa's hospital supplies market is projected to grow from about USD 0.96 billion in 2025 to USD 1.39 billion by 2031. - Infection-control disposables are already the largest revenue category in the market. - Disposables made up 37.68% of the market in 2025. - Sterilisation and disinfectant equipment is forecast to grow at a 7.78% CAGR through 2031. - Facilities are upgrading autoclaves and improving reprocessing of reusable equipment as hygiene protocols tighten. - National surveillance data showed that almost 75% of Klebsiella pneumoniae bloodstream isolates in South Africa were ESBL-producing in 2023. - ESBL-producing bacteria can resist many standard antibiotics. - WHX will feature 13 national and regional country pavilions. - More than 600 exhibitors from 60+ countries are set to show sterilisation and disinfection technologies, digital surveillance tools for antimicrobial resistance and healthcare-associated infections, point-of-care diagnostics and integrated quality management platforms. - The WHX portfolio includes events in Nairobi, Lagos and Johannesburg. - WHX also sits alongside Africa Health ExCon in Egypt and the Africa CDC's Conference on Public Health in Africa, creating a wider ecosystem for policy, procurement and commercial partnerships.

Between the lines: - The spending shift points to a move from reactive infection treatment toward prevention-first hospital operations. - Accreditation and quality systems are becoming tools for turning infection control into daily practice rather than a one-time compliance exercise. - Professor Sabelile Tenza, who will chair the WHX Quality Management & Patient Safety Indaba, said South African hospitals face severe IPC gaps driven by staffing shortages, outdated infrastructure, poor ventilation and inconsistent supply chains. - Tenza said those problems, combined with weak management support and training, can leave compliance rates as low as 11% in some areas. - Jacqui Stewart, CEO of COHSASA, said accreditation standards help healthcare teams build systems for medicine use, antimicrobial stewardship and frontline accountability. - COHSASA's frameworks support governance, prescribing processes, medicine monitoring and infection prevention requirements in policies and performance metrics.

What's next: - WHX's patient safety and quality sessions will examine how hospitals can tighten infection prevention, improve stewardship and reduce risk. - Healthcare professionals and industry stakeholders can register for WHX Johannesburg through the event's online registration page: registration. - The event's exhibitor mix and regional pavilions are positioned to connect suppliers with buyers looking for IPC tools, diagnostics and quality management systems.

The bottom line: - South African hospitals are spending more on infection control because drug-resistant infections are forcing a shift toward prevention, surveillance and stronger quality systems.