February 24, 2020

HSP Joins Fleming Fund Consortium To Address Antimicrobial Resistance In Pakistan

HSP along with Aga Khan University (AKU), Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI), and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), are part of a consortium supporting the Fleming Fund in Pakistan. The Fleming Fund is a £265 million UK aid investment to tackle antimicrobial resistance in low- and middle-income countries around the world. The program is managed by the UK Department of Health and Social Care, in partnership with Mott MacDonald, the Fleming Fund Grants Management Agent.

Led by DAI, the consortium is working closely with the Government of Pakistan, other international partners, and the private sector in Pakistan to address AMR as well as antimicrobial consumption and use (AMC/AMU). HSP is focused on supporting the animal health sector and will be working primarily with the National Veterinary Laboratory (NVL) and National Reference Laboratory for Poultry Diseases (NRLPD), both under Pakistan’s Ministry of National Food Security and Research.

AMR is a global problem that must be addressed using a One Health approach. In the U.S. it is estimated that 80 percent of antimicrobials are consumed by animals! Studies continue to link increased consumption of antimicrobials with increased resistance, so addressing antimicrobial consumption (AMC) in food animal production is expected to have a large impact on AMR rates. HSP is excited to work with NVL and NRLPD to build up their AMR and AMC surveillance systems over the next year and begin understanding how and why antimicrobials are being used in the food animal production sector.

The program was kicked off in Islamabad in July 2019 where a workplan using a One Health approach was developed. By early September, the consortium members had met with Government of Pakistan and other stakeholders to gain consensus on the approach and the plan was ready to be implemented. October and November saw comprehensive assessments of the national and sub-national laboratories completed by teams of animal and human health assessors. And in late November and December, joint trainings for personnel at the national reference laboratories were hosted by AKU (laboratory quality management systems) and HSP (biosafety and biosecurity). In December HSP also began facilitating development of a surveillance plan and pilot for the animal health sector.

Watch this space for more updates and also check-out our consortium partners: DAI; AKU; and LSTM.