Antimicrobials are essential as medicines, disinfectants, antiseptics and hygiene products for human and animal health and welfare. Since their discovery they have substantially decreased the threat to these populations posed by various infectious diseases.
However, over the years microbes have evolved and have become resistant to some of the antimicrobial medicines. This resistance is now most evident in hospital-acquired infections, respiratory tract infections, meningitis, diarrhoeal diseases and sexually transmitted infections.
There is increasing concern that resistant microbes or resistance determinants may be transferred from animals to humans, and vice versa, via the food chain or through direct contact.
Each year about 25,000 patients die in the EU from infections caused by micro-organisms that have developed resistance to antimicrobial medicines. It is also estimated that every year AMR costs 1.5 billion euros in healthcare expenses and productivity losses.
The European Commission published a staff working paper as a basis of discussion on the ways to better tackle the growing health problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).The Commission's document provided an overview of the activities already undertaken by the European Union to address the AMR problem and identified areas where further reflection could produce better solutions. It concluded that, although progress had been made in certain areas, further actions were needed to improve the assessment and management of AMR.
The UK has a good reputation in Europe for taking a progressive stance to resolving the risk of AMR and NFU led the industry response through its association with the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) Alliance. You can view the Commission's working paper and the Industry response by clicking on the attached documents in the 'related documents' box to the right of this article.
For further information about RUMA please click here to go to the RUMA website.
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