This practical manual is designed to support implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines on core components of infection prevention and control programmes at the national level, with special focus on countries with limited resources. The Guidelines describe what is necessary (that is, recommendations) to effectively improve infection prevention and control (IPC). This practical manual outlines how to do this (that is, how to implement the Guidelines). It focuses on the development of a sustainable action plan informed by the local context to put into operation the Guideline recommendation