United States: National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

On March 27, the White House released a comprehensive plan that identifies critical actions to be taken by key Federal departments and agencies to combat the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria: The National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria.

Although its primary purpose is to guide activities by the U.S. Government, the National Action Plan is also designed to guide action by public health, healthcare, and veterinary partners in a common effort to address urgent and serious drug-resistant threats that affect people in the U.S. and around the world.

The goals of the National Action Plan include:

• 1. Slow the Emergence of Resistant Bacteria and Prevent the Spread of Resistant Infections.
• 2. Strengthen National One-Health Surveillance Efforts to Combat Resistance.
• 3. Advance Development and Use of Rapid and Innovative Diagnostic Tests for Identification and Characterization of Resistant Bacteria.
• 4. Accelerate Basic and Applied Research and Development for New Antibiotics, Other Therapeutics, and Vaccines.
• 5. Improve International Collaboration and Capacities for Antibiotic-resistance Prevention, Surveillance, Control, and Antibiotic Research and Development.