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While the international community is calling for more and better information to complement the ever-growing body of data on the effects of antimicrobial resistance on humans, animals, the environment and the environment. the economy, policymakers must have access to reliable surveillance data. These data are essential for monitoring the status of key antimicrobial classes (related antimicrobial groups) in the European Region and for verifying the effectiveness of policies adopted to address this public health challenge.
The Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network in Central and Eastern Europe (CAESAR) complements the surveillance data generated by the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (EARS-Net) for the countries of the Union and the European Economic Area, under the coordination of the European Disease Center. Prevention and control (ECDC). The latest CAESAR annual report shows steady progress in shaping a more comprehensive picture of antimicrobial resistance in Europe. The report covers a growing and developing network of 19 countries to date.
Updates for this reporting period include:
- Eleven countries and one region have set up an AMR reference laboratory.
- Ten countries and one region provide data to the CAESAR network.
- Participation in the external quality assessment (EQA) of laboratories has again expanded with 248 laboratories in 16 countries / areas and overall results continue to improve.
- Two Central Asian countries are preparing to implement a demonstration project in principle, while another country has concluded a project in October 2018.
The CAESAR network supports the establishment of antimicrobial resistance surveillance networks, which are the cornerstone of the struggle to maintain antibiotics. The CAESAR network also helps improve the quality of laboratory testing, manage data, and analyze and report data from other monitoring networks. The support is adapted to the specific needs of the surveillance system. For example, the report includes the preliminary results of a proof-of-principle project in Armenia, providing an excellent example of how CAESAR supports diagnostic oversight in the European Region by helping to identify suspected cases of infection. blood infection and then encouraging appropriate laboratory tests. Georgia concluded a demonstration-of-concept project last year and is now able to transmit RAM data to the CAESAR network.
Keep an eye on the labs
The report also provides a reference for the quality of the reported data that is systematically collected and shared. Laboratory participation in EQA CAESAR continues to grow and, in the future, the network will strive even more to allow participating laboratories to evolve, improve and improve keep the good work started. The importance of reference laboratories in supporting surveillance networks can not be overstated and investments in quality personnel, equipment and consumables are necessary to remain functional and useful.
The CAESAR network was launched in 2012 by WHO / Europe, together with the Dutch National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Diseases Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), to assist countries and regions in strengthening national antimicrobial resistance surveillance after the adoption of the European Strategic Action Plan. The establishment of the network has shown that surveillance is crucial for an effective response to AMR.
The rapid emergence and spread of AMR is one of the greatest threats to global health, with many common infections becoming resistant to the antimicrobial drugs previously used to treat them. AMR represents a fundamental threat to human and animal health and the achievement of sustainable development goals. While the currently available antimicrobial agents are losing their effectiveness and the new drug pipeline is dry, many types of infections are threatening life again.
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