New UK antimicrobial resistance strategy launched

The government has announced the publication of a five-year antimicrobial resistance strategy that incorporates national and international action on this serious healthcare challenge.

It outlines steps that are being taken to improve how the UK prevents and manages infections in people and in animals through better hygiene and monitoring of bacteria, as well as improved farming practices.

Efforts are also being made to improve education and training around the prescribing of antibiotics and to collect better data on resistance so bugs can be tracked more effectively, while funding of up to four million pounds will be used to set up a new National Institute of Health Research Health Protection Research Unit dedicated to this issue.

Public health minister Anna Soubry said: "This is really a problem that society has to take on together … Whether you're a patient, a doctor or a vet, we all have a role to play in prescribing and using antibiotics responsibly."

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt and chief medical officer Professor Dame Sally Davies have previously called for global action on this issue and are looking into ways of encouraging the development of new antibiotics, rapid diagnostics and other treatments.