Brussels, 14/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission published guidelines on Friday 11 September which aim to prevent the overuse and misuse of antibiotics by sharing best-practices in veterinary medicine. “Antimicrobial resistance is turning into a real emergency in the EU and worldwide”, said Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis.
The newly published guidelines form part of the European action plan for tackling antimicrobial resistance. They provide national authorities, farmers and veterinarians with practical examples, at a glance, of what is being done in other EU countries to promote the prudent use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine. Such measures can contribute to the control of AMR also in human medicine, the Commission states.
Tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remains a priority for the EU which, in November 2011, published a five-year action plan designed to address the growing risks posed by AMR. A progress report on the action plan was published in February of this year. It takes stock of the measures taken hitherto to counter AMR (see EUROPE 11263). The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) regularly produce reports on the situation (see EUROPE 11245). (Isabelle Lamberty)