Table 2.
Incremental progress towards the WHO policy package and global action plan
| Global action plan (GAP)a | Policy packageb |
Incremental progress |
Potential regional partners | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All member states are urged to have in place national action plans on AMR aligned with the GAP within 2 years of the endorsement of the GAP by the WHA | 1. Commit to a comprehensive, financed national plan with accountability and civil society engagement | Establish national steering committee | Undertake situational analysis and priority setting on AMR | Develop plan with objectives, targets, indicators responsible persons/institutions and timeframes | WHO Regional Office for Africa Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Regional Office for Africa World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) Regional Representation in Africa Foreign Policy and Global Health Initiative Group of Nationsc |
| Objective 1: Improve awareness and understanding of AMR through effective communication, education and training |
Integrated into policy recommendations 1, 4 and 5 detailed above and below. | Include AMR in school, health professional and veterinarian curricula | Institute mandatory continuous professional development (CPD) on AMR and/or licensure for the prescription and dispensing of antimicrobials | Institute multimedia campaigns with consistent, sustained messages on AMR | African Federation of Public Health Associations |
| Objective 2: Strengthen the knowledge and evidence base through surveillance and research |
2. Strengthen surveillance and laboratory capacity. | Set up/optimize one or more national reference laboratories with standard operating procedures (SoPs) in place. Develop or adapt standard methodology for the collection of antimicrobial consumption in health facilities |
Reference laboratories undertake active sentinel surveillance and participate in external quality assurance. Ascertain antimicrobial sales and consumption in human health in daily-defined doses/1000 patient days/population |
Reference laboratories undertake active integrated surveillance, generating electronic data that can be shared nationally and globally. Ascertain antimicrobial consumption in agriculture using the population correction unit in addition to use in humans |
African Society for Laboratory Medicine East African Public Health Laboratory Network Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network (EPN) WHO Collaborating Centre for HIV/AIDS, Tropical Diseases Research, Polio Immunization, Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers and Anti-Microbial Resistance (WHO-NET). Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Proposed African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
| Objective 3: Reduce the incidence of infection through effective sanitation, hygiene and infection prevention measures |
5. Enhance infection prevention and control (IPC) | Develop/enhance, implement and monitor SoPs related to infection prevention and control in health facilities | Additionally develop/enhance, implement and monitor SoPs related to infection prevention and control within communities | Additionally develop/enhance, implement and monitor SoPs related to infection prevention and control in animal health and agricultural practices | Infection Control Africa Network |
| Objective 4: Optimize the use of antimicrobial medicines in human and animal health |
3. Ensure uninterrupted access to essential medicines of assured quality. 4. Regulate and promote rational use of medicines including in animal husbandry and ensure proper patient care |
Implement surveillance-informed and/or evidence-based treatment guidelines/algorithms and associated essential medicines for infections in human and (food) animal health | Institute surveillance-informed AMR stewardship programmes in human and animal health | Set up and/or empower Drug Regulatory Authorities to regulate the registration, prescription, dispensing, use and quality assurance of antimicrobials | African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization Programme EPN Proposed African Medicines Agency |
| Objective 5: Develop the economic case for sustainable investment that takes account of the needs of all countries and increase investment in new medicines diagnostic tools, vaccines and other interventions |
6. Foster innovations and research and development for new tools | Fund/leverage funding for basic research on the nature and extent of AMR | Participate in south–south and north–south consortia conducting research on AMR, including new antimicrobial medicines and diagnostic agents | Investigate the antimicrobial potential of traditional medicines | Africa Regional Headquarters for Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) Africa Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI) Federation of African Manufacturers Association African Development Bank Academia |
cBrazil, France, Indonesia, Norway, Senegal, South Africa and Thailand.