Residents of Belgian long-term care facilities experienced a substantial burden of infections over a full year of prospective monitoring, according to a new study published in BMC Infectious Diseases. Among 260 residents followed in four facilities, 483 infections were recorded in 199 individuals, meaning 76.5 percent of the residents developed at least one infection during the observation period. The overall incidence density was 5.7 infections per 1,000 resident-days, a figure the researchers describe as reflecting a considerable infection burden in this setting.
The study, a 12-month prospective investigation, followed a selection of residents who were present at baseline in the four participating facilities. Infections were recorded prospectively regardless of where they were acquired, and the analysis used negative binomial regression to estimate incidence densities per 1,000 resident-days, an approach chosen to account for overdispersion in the data. Associations between infections and clinical outcomes were assessed using binomial logistic regression. The article was published on 21 October 2026 as an open-access research paper, shared early as a peer-reviewed, accepted version that remains citable and carries a permanent DOI.
Respiratory tract infections were the most frequent type, accounting for 31.3 percent of all infections and occurring at a rate of 1.8 per 1,000 resident-days. COVID-19 followed at 21.7 percent, or 1.2 per 1,000 resident-days, and urinary tract infections ranked third at 17.0 percent, corresponding to 1.0 per 1,000 resident-days. The case-fatality rate of the recorded infections was 2.3 percent. The authors note that while European point prevalence surveys have described how healthcare-associated infections are distributed in long-term care facilities, comprehensive prospective data on incidence, duration, seasonality, and outcomes have remained limited, particularly in Belgium, which motivated this year-long effort.
The clinical consequences of infection were pronounced. Infections were strongly associated with hospitalisation, with an adjusted odds ratio of 11.7 (95 percent CI: 6.5 to 20.8), and with increased mortality, with an adjusted odds ratio of 4.0 (95 percent CI: 1.4 to 11.7). Notably, the association with mortality was mainly observed among residents who were not hospitalised following their infection, a pattern the authors highlight in their results. The study team, led by researchers including Najat Aïch and Katrien Latour, concludes that the observed associations with hospitalisation and mortality underline the clinical importance of infections in long-term care facilities.
Subject of Research: The incidence, duration, and clinical outcomes of infections in Belgian long-term care facilities over one year of prospective surveillance.
Article Title: Tracking infections in Belgian long-term care facilities: a one-year prospective study of incidence, duration, and clinical outcomes
Article References: Aïch, N., Van Den Abeele, A.-M., De Baets, E., Ricchizzi, E., Int Panis, L., Kegels, E., Van Duyse, A., Van Elsen, J., Verhofstadt, K., Mertens, K., Catry, B., & Latour, K. (2026). Tracking infections in Belgian long-term care facilities: a one-year prospective study of incidence, duration, and clinical outcomes. BMC Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-026-14604-9
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1186/s12879-026-14604-9
Keywords: long-term care facilities, healthcare-associated infections, Belgium, respiratory tract infections, COVID-19, urinary tract infections, incidence density, hospitalisation, mortality, prospective surveillance, older adults, Tracking
News Source: Kristina Jarvis. (October 28, 2026). One Year of Infections in Belgian Long-Term Care Facilities: High Burden, Strong Hospitalisation Link. Scienmag.
