Strategy for controlling bacterial resistance to antimicrobial drugs in Argentina/Estrategia de control de la resistencia bacteriana a los antimicrobianos en Argentina/Estrategia de controle da resistencia bacteriana aos antimicrobianos na Argentina

• Published in: Revista panamericana de salud pública 2017-12, Vol.41 (8)
• Main Authors: Pasteran, Fernando, Cornistein, Wanda, Nacinovich, Francisco, Frenkel, Julia, Corso, Alejandra, Monsalvo, Mauricio, Corral, Gonzalo, Lazovski, Jaime
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• ISSN: 1020-4989

The accelerated emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance observed in recent decades is associated with the abuse and/or misuse of antimicrobial drugs. In 2014, Argentina's Ministry of Health, in conjunction with other agencies and institutions, rolled out a national antimicrobial resistance control strategy designed to slow or prevent the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria. This article describes the action proposed and results obtained during the first implementation period in terms of improving human health surveillance, creating an animal health surveillance network, planning antimicrobial drugs consumption surveillance, monitoring restrictions on sales, adapting dosage forms to treatment needs, updating the antimicrobial drugs registry and diagnostic methods, restricting the use of these drugs as growth promoters, encouraging responsible use, preparing diagnostic and treatment guidelines, creating antimicrobial drugs management programs, and strengthening infection prevention and control programs in health facilities and livestock production. Many of these measures, particularly those related to antimicrobial drugs regulation, control, and management, can be implemented immediately, reducing the unnecessary use of these products, and with it, the impact on antimicrobial resistance. Keywords Drug resistance, microbial; government programs; Argentina. La aceleracion observada en las ultimas decadas sobre la emergencia y diseminacion de la resistencia a los antimicrobianos esta vinculada al abuso y/o mal uso de los antimicrobianos. En 2014, el Ministerio de Salud de Argentina, junto a otros organismos e instituciones, implemento una estrategia nacional para el control de la resistencia a los antimicrobianos con el objetivo de retrasar o impedir la emergencia y diseminacion de bacterias resistentes. Este trabajo describe las acciones propuestas y los resultados obtenidos durante el primer periodo de implementacion en materia de fortalecimiento de la vigilancia en salud humana, creacion de una red de vigilancia en salud animal, planificacion de la vigilancia del consumo de antimicrobianos, fiscalizacion de restricciones en la venta de estos, adecuacion de las formas farmaceuticas a las necesidades de tratamiento, actualizacion del registro de antimicrobianos y de metodos de diagnostico, restriccion de su uso como promotores de crecimiento, promocion de su uso responsable, elaboracion de guias de diagnostico y tratamiento, creacion de program