Improving AMR surveillance through WHONET
The Department of Animal Health, in collaboration with FAO, FHI360 and PATH, organized a one-day workshop on the WHONET software in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
WHONET is a computerized microbiology laboratory data management and analysis program for recording and comparing antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of organisms. WHONET is available in 44 languages, supporting surveillance efforts in over 2,300 hospital, public health, animal health, and food laboratories in over 130 countries worldwide.
In Viet Nam it has been used in human pathogens and can be potentially adapted for veterinary and environmental organisms. This was an interactive workshop where participants from veterinary public and private laboratories were introduced to WHONET and learned about the different options and configurations of the system. It aims to explore options for integrating data on antimicrobial susceptibility providing a better knowledge of their antimicrobial susceptibility, therefore contributing to better prescription practices. It is expected that the system will be adopted by a range of laboratories across the country.