Speaker: Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, Program Leader, Antimicrobial Resistance Program, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, NUS, Senior Consultant and Head, Department of Infectious Diseases, Tan Tock Seng Hospital & Clinical Director, National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID)

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global human and veterinary public health issue, with the World Bank estimating a fall in global GDP of 1.1% to 3.8% by the year 2050 that will be attributable to AMR, in addition to the millions of deaths that it will cause by then. In line with the UN General Assembly’s declaration in September 2016 to act on the threat of AMR, all member states of the UN are developing National Action Plans on AMR, folllowing the broad strokes of the WHO’s Global Action Plan via inter-sectoral One Health initiatives in education, surveillance, research, policy and international collaboration.

AMR was highlighted as one of the three key areas in infectious diseases for further research investment in Singapore’s RIE2020 health and biomedical research sector plan. In the human health sector, greater awareness on the issue of AMR is being raised by healthcare worker and student education, and hospital antibiotic stewardship programmes. Similar efforts are necessary in the animal and agricultural industries locally, and more effort is required in public education – perhaps even in incorporating AMR in school curriculum.

AMR surveillance is reasonably comprehensive among the public hospitals, but major gaps remain in private hospitals, the community, and agricultural surveillance of AMR and antibiotic use. A multi-year concerted effort is required in Singapore in order to better understand and contain the threat of AMR locally.