FAO Empowers National Focal Points with Training on Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently concluded a series of regional training sessions aimed at strengthening global surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through its International FAO Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (InFARM). The training sessions, conducted across Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia-Pacific, were attended by 167 participants from 46 countries, including government officials, FAO personnel, FAO reference centers on AMR, external experts, and partners.
The FAO Action Plan on AMR (2021-2025) highlights the critical need for robust surveillance and research to support evidence-based decisions in combating AMR. As part of this effort, the InFARM system was developed to assist countries in collecting, analyzing, and utilizing AMR data from livestock, fisheries, and aquaculture. This year’s training series is a pivotal step in the global roll-out of InFARM, following the May 2024 open call for Member countries to submit data into the platform.
"InFARM is not only a key priority to support member strengthening their capacity on AMR Surveillance, but also a critical part of our broader initiatives such as Reduce the Need for Antimicrobials on Farms for Sustainable Agrifood Systems Transformation (RENOFARM), which aims to support countries' agrifood systems transformation in implementing good production practices. These efforts align with our global commitment to safeguard public health and food security," said Junxia Song, FAO Senior Animal Health Officer, One Health Coordination and AMR Cluster Lead, FAO HQ.
The four-day training sessions were designed to enhance the capabilities of national focal points (FPs) in managing, sharing and utilizingAMR data. The first day focused on global and regional perspectives on AMR surveillance, featuring updates from the FAO and its international partners, and country presentations on AMR activities.
On the second day, participants delved into the management of national AMR data, with practical training on using WHONET and BacLink software for data entry and export in line with InFARM’s technical specifications. This was followed by hands-on sessions on the third day, where participants practiced submitting data into the InFARM IT platform and visualizing AMR data for national reports.
The final day highlighted the importance of using AMR data for advocacy and action. Participants engaged in exercises on risk communication during a simulated multidrug-resistant Salmonella outbreak and discussed how to effectively communicate AMR data to various stakeholders.
"These trainings have been instrumental in expanding the network of InFARM support. FAO colleagues in our region are now better equipped to support national focal points in managing and submitting AMR data effectively" said Irene Ouoba, FAO AMR focal point for Africa.
Chea Rortana, InFARM national focal point for animal health in Cambodia, said: “The training enabled me to follow an internationally harmonized framework for organizing and submitting AMR data from thefood and agriculture sectors, marking the start of effectively using our national data for both local and global efforts.”
Alejandro Dorado Garcia, FAO Animal Health Officer, emphasized, "Transforming raw AMR data into actionable information is critical to making informed decisions in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. This is the core objective of our InFARM efforts."
As the global roll-out of InFARM continues, FAO calls on member countries to submit their AMR data by October 31, 2024, through the InFARM IT platform. National focal points are encouraged to complete their enrolment questionnaires and prepare their data files for submission. The success of this initiative depends on active participation from all countries, ensuring a comprehensive and collaborative approach to AMR surveillance.
This initiative is supported by severalprojects funded by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Fleming Fund project “Engaging the food and agriculture sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa, and South and South-East Asia to generate data-for-action to combat AMR using a One Health approach”), the Republic of Korea (Action to support implementation of Codex texts project), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/FAO Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) regional project in Asia, and the European Union (Regional Tripartite AMR Project - FAO, WHO and WOAH- “Working together to fight Antimicrobial Resistance").
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