Summit on Antimicrobial Resistance

7th and 8th February 2011

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified antimicrobial resistance as one of three greatest threats to human health, jeopardising patient safety and public health. Whilst research into and the development of new, effective antibiotics is decreasing, we are all aware of rapidly increasing rates of multiresistant bacteria that cannot be treated with currently available antibiotics. 

The problem of antibiotic resistance worldwide, including Australia, is one of the foremost issues that we face in the coming decades. We strongly believe that there is an urgent requirement for a debate within Australia on how to comprehensively address the problems of antimicrobial resistance, with the goal to implement a coordinated national approach. In 1999 Australia developed a blueprint for tackling antibiotic resistance for human and non-human use of antibiotics, the Joint Expert Technical Advisory Committee on Antibiotic Resistance (JETACAR) report(1), and established committees for its implementation. This effort has now dissipated and the committees disbanded. The WHO has endorsed similar policies in a report in 2001(2). 

The problem of resistance as a public health threat has increased significantly over the last decade and local solutions are needed more than ever. With this in mind, the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases and the Australian Society for Antimicrobials conjointly convened a "Summit on Antimicrobial Resistance" which was held at the Law School at the University of Sydney on Monday and Tuesday, 7th and 8th February 2011. 

This forum was a co-operative effort by an interdisciplinary group from the scientific, medical, veterinary, public health and health policy communities, and discussed health-care and community-associated drug resistance, infection control strategies, the role of national surveillance, antibiotic stewardship, antibiotic use in food production, and research needs. With a broad representation, the forum aimed to achieve a dialogue for national control strategies and to formulate an agenda for minimising antimicrobial resistance in the future. 

Presentations from the Summit, along with links to key background documents can be found here.

Tom Gottlieb Graeme Nimmo President, Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID) President, Australian Society for Antimicrobials (ASA) 

(1). http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/health-pubs-jetacar-cnt.htm
(2). http://www.who.int/drugresistance/WHO_Global_Strategy.htm/en/

The programme from the Antimicrobial Summit can be viewed here. Click here for details of the speakers.