Positive news in fight against antimicrobial resistance

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate’s UK Veterinary Antimicrobial Resistance and Sales Surveillance (VARSS) report, which is marking its 10^th anniversary, and the RUMA Targets Task Force 2 progress report from the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) were both released this week.

Although the reduction in the use of antibiotics is starting to level out, both reports show that efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance are continuing to make a difference, showing that sales of antibiotics for food-producing animals remain at low levels and that levels of resistant bacteria are also reducing. The VARSS report also revealed that sales of antibiotics for all animals have dropped 58% since the first VARSS report in 2014 ten years ago.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is working to remind veterinary professionals about recent changes to vet prescriptions, which came into force on Sunday and, among other changes, limit the prescription of antibiotics for prophylactic purposes.

BVA President Dr. Elizabeth Mullineaux said: “Antibiotics are a vital tool for the veterinary professions and in some cases can be essential in treating an unwell animal. However, antibiotic resistance is a serious concern which can have an impact on both animal and human health. There has been big progress over the years and although this may have slowed down, we must maintain progress to ensure these medicines remain viable for responsible use in the future.”

The Antibiotic Amnesty Campaign calls for vet practices to encourage clients to return any unused or out-of-date antibiotics for safe disposal during November. Register your interest and access free resources on the RUMA CA&E website.

Find out more about the changes to prescriptions and BVA’s updated prescription form. If you want to know more about antimicrobial stewardship, the RCVS Knowledge AMR Hub has lots of resources, CPD, and information about the Antibiotic Guardians programme.