Strengthening institutional capacity in surveillance and monitoring of antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use in the animal health sector
| Project's full title | Strengthening institutional capacity in surveillance and monitoring of antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use in the animal health sector |
|---|---|
| Country | India |
| Start date | 01/10/2021 |
| End date | 31/12/2022 |
| Status | Completed |
| Project Code | TCP/IND/3803 |
| Objective / Goal |
Strategic Objective: BP 3 Objectives: National monitoring and surveillance of antimicrobial usage in animals strengthened and data shared with various stakeholders in true spirit of One Health Description: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been globally recognized as an emerging public-health threat. Every year AMR kills an estimated 700 000 people worldwide, most of these in developing countries. It is estimated that by 2050 if not addressed, this number may rise to 10 million. AMR will have severe adverse effects on the global economy. A cumulative USD 100 trillion could be wiped off the world’s production over the next 35 years. The world’s GDP could fall by 3.5% and the economic impact of AMR shall be far greater in developing countries e.g. India. Efforts to combat AMR have attracted increased momentum across the world. The Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance has been endorsed by the Tripartite consisting of the FAO-OIE-WHO in 2015. The plan, emphasizing One Health approach has laid out several measures under five strategic objectives. In accordance with global activities, all countries were called upon to develop their respective national action plans. India developed its National Strategic Action Plan (NAP) for AMR through an extensive consultative process and in true spirit of One Health approach providing equal representation of human health, animal health and environment sectors in its implementation. The NAP is in alignment with the Global Action Plan. Objective No 2 in Global Action Plan and India’s NAP articulates the need to initiate laboratory-based surveillance to understand the magnitude and dynamics of AMR and antimicrobial usage (AMU) in various sectors. Though significant work is being done within the country for surveillance of AMR with technical support from FAO, the country does not have any capacity to estimate the use of antimicrobial agents in animals and fisheries sector. This hampers the establishment of relationship between antibiotics use and AMR and also advocacy for reducing the use of these drivers of AMR. Once the capacity to estimate AMU is developed, the same can be used for understanding the dynamics of development of resistance and efficacy of locally applicable interventions to mitigate AMR in animal health sector. FAO, in close collaboration with the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) has initiated a national network (Indian Network for Fisheries and Animals Antimicrobial Resistance: INFAAR) of 21 laboratories in the veterinary sectors (fisheries and livestock). This network has started generating data on AMR using a harmonized and standardized operating procedure. While this data is useful to gauge the burden of AMR, the real causative factor of quantifying irrational and extensive use of antibiotics remains elusive in the absence of national protocols and capacity to estimate antimicrobial usage (AMU). Building national capacity in AMU estimation and linking it with AMR in the animal health sector shall facilitate comprehensive and analysed data sharing with health sector so that relationship between human and animal AMR can be analyzed both for policy as well as programme development within the overall framework of One Health in India. This FAO-TCP provides unique inputs to the national initiative of One Health. The TCP focuses on building capacity of INFAAR institutions since it is a functional network with knowledgeable and qualified scientists representing their institutes, has mandate of AMU and has been authorized by its Advisory Board to initiate AMU estimation activities. It shall also undertake few focused group discussions with groups of users of antimicrobial agents (farmers) to promote rational use of antibiotics. Donor: FAO Expected Outputs:
|