Better antimicrobial use data to accelerate action on antimicrobial resistance
3 June 2024 – Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing public health threat in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and globally. The Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) project estimates that 123 834 deaths in the Region in 2019 were directly due to sepsis caused by resistant bacteria, while a further 341 097 deaths were associated with sepsis caused by resistant bacteria.
Inappropriate use of antibiotics is one of the most common drivers of AMR. Yet systems to reliably collect, analyse and interpret antibiotic use data are still being developed in most countries of the Region. In many instances, good quality antibiotic use data are sparse.
Better quality data on antibiotic use patterns – nationally and at facility level – are vital to ensure more appropriate use of antibiotics and hence mitigate the development of AMR. The need to strengthen the collection, analysis and use of antibiotic consumption data was also among the key recommendations of a June 2023 regional meeting that reviewed country programmes on AMR.
Against this backdrop, the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean organized a regional meeting, “Data for Action: Using antibiotic consumption data to improve prescription and stewardship activities”, in Doha, Qatar, on 13–15 May 2024. Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health co-hosted the event.
More than 50 delegates from 11 countries of the Region attended the meeting, along with experts from the Regional Office, WHO headquarters, WHO
