Alyn Hails EU Action On Antimicrobial Resistance

The plan includes steps to improve awareness of the appropriate use of antimicrobials; the development of new effective antimicrobials or alternatives for treatment; the improvement of monitoring and surveillance in human and animal medicine; and an increased focus on research, innovation and training.

Today is also EU Antibiotic Awareness Day.

Alyn said:

"I'm a firm believer in science-driven rules and regulations - us politicians should be led by the state of scientific knowledge and the advice of experts from the relevant sectors.

"It is clear that overuse of antibiotics in some cases has led to the growth of microbial resistance - and around 25,000 people a year die from resistant bacteria, to say nothing of the problems faced by our farm animals.

"We clearly need to be more careful in our use of antimicrobials, without ruling out their use altogether. Only one month ago, in the wake of a European Parliament resolution on the topic, I called for more research to be done into the suggested links between the use of antibiotics in livestock and resistance in humans, and I hope that this action plan will provide the impetus needed for this work to begin."