On an average day in the U.S., roughly 1 in 25 medical patients has a healthcare- related infection, including illnesses that are life threatening, according to a new report form the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Almost half of these patients are 65 or older, and nearly 1 in 9 will die during their hospitalization. More often than not, the infections are caused by a lack of hygiene practices in medical facilities and could have been prevented had proper sanitation measures been in place, the CDC says.

In a March 26 press conference held to “sound the alarm,” on HAIs, the CDC reports patients are most likely to get infections in five areas: in the bloodstream, the urinary tract, the gut, and the two most common places — at the site of surgery, or in the lungs.

The infectious culprits most likely to sicken patients are C. difficile (deadly diarrhea); Staph (including the drug-resistant MRSA); Enterobacteriaceae (including CRE, or “nightmare bacteria”); and Pseudomonas, which can cause infections in the lungs and bloodstream.

Research has found that HAIs cost the U.S. about $9.8 billion a year in related costs.

“Despite the progress we’ve seen, three quarters of a million patients every year end up with healthcare-associated infections,” said Dr. Michael Bell, deputy director of the CDC’s division of healthcare quality promotion. “This is not a minor issue. What we want people to do is focus on keeping their hands clean at all times.”

It wasn’t all bad news. Bell added that of the 10 surgery types captured in the report, that there has been a 20 percent reduction in infections since 2008. Additionally, there was a 44 percent decrease in blood infections.

Still, the CDC says the U.S. has a long way to go.

The CDC shared data from two reports. The first report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, is based on a 2011 survey of 183 hospitals in 10 states, according to CBS News, who reported on the findings. In that year, there were about 721,800 infections in 648,000 patients. About 75,000 of these patients died as a result of HAIs.

A second report assessed national progress to address the infections. Currently, the U.S. does not have a system for tracking HAIs. While Bell said during the conference that state data tracking HAIs was still lacking, a federal initiative included in the FY-2015 budget will fund data collection, lab testing and identify problem areas, allowing the CDC to “put their boots on the ground,” and provide medical facilities with assistance to combat germs and disease.