Public health: combating antimicrobial resistance

PURPOSE : to adopt a recommendation on the prudent use of antimicrobial agents in human medecines. COMMUNITY MEASURE : Council Recommendation 2002/77/EC on the prudent use of antimicrobial agents in human medecine. CONTENT : the objective of this recommendation is to ensure that specific strategies exist and are implemented targeted towards the prudent use of antimicrobial agents in the aim of containing the increase of pathogens resistant to these agents. These strategies should be based on the available scientific evidence and should compromise measures in relation to surveillance , education, information, prevention and control and research. These specific strategies should pursue the following objectives: - to establish or strengthen surveillance systems on antimicrobial resistance and the use of antimicrobial agents; - to implement control and preventive measures to support the prudent use of antimicrobial agents and contribute to limiting the spread of communicable diseases; - to promote education and training of health professionals on the problem of antimicrobial resistance; - to inform the general public of the importance of prudent use of antimicrobial agents. It should also be noted that the Member States are called upon to have in place rapidly and if possible within one year of the adoption of this Recommendation an appropriate intersectoral mechanism for the coordinated implementation of the above strategies as well as for the purposes of information implementation exchange and coordination with the Commission and the other Member States. The Council recommends that the Member States report to the Commission on the implementation of the recommendation within two years of the adoption of this recommendation and subsequently on request by the Commission with a view to contributing to the follow-up of this recommendation at Community level and acting as appropriate in the context of the programmes of action in the field of public health. The Commission is also invited to propose a common methodolgy, case definitions and nature and type of data to be collected for the surveillance on the susceptibility of pathogens resistant to the antimicrobial agents and the use of these agents. ENTRY INTO FORCE : 15 November 2001.�