Call for National Centre for Disease Control

The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) is calling for the establishment of a National Centre for Disease Control to provide coordination of population health issues, particularly with regard to antimicrobial resistance.
The PHHA’s call is in response to the findings of the Senate Finance and Public Administration Reference Committee released last week, which examined the progress made since antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was identified as a major issue in 1999 and aseries of recommendations were made by the Joint Expert Technical Advisory Committee on Antibiotic Resistance (JETACAR).
The Committee identified the core problem: “The more antibiotics are used, the more chances bacteria have to become resistant to them. “Common causes of increasing AMR ... include using antibiotics when they are not needed and not taking antibiotics at the correct doses and times.”
Associate Professor Heather Yeatman, President of the PHAA said: “The Senate Committee has recognised the multiple reasons behind the increase in AMR and it is now incumbent on governments to take this issue seriously.  “Good data, banning ‘last-line’ antibiotic use in animals, improved infection control in hospitals, the development of new antibiotics and further research on effective use of antimicrobials in farming are all issues that need to be taken seriously.  “It is essential that we act immediately to safeguard the effectiveness of antibiotics for the future health of both people and animals,” she said
In addition to recommending the establishment of an independent body, or national centre, the Committee has suggested at recommendation 2.62: “that the independent body be resourced to implement a rigorous monitoring and reporting regime of antibiotic use in humans and animals and of multiple drug resistant infections in humans and animals”.
Michael Moore, CEO of PHHA, added; “The reality is that we have made little progress – in fact the Senate Committee recommendations indicate that we have been going backwards by relying on voluntary systems, good will and limited stewardship.  “The establishment of a national centre is critically important to manage AMR, coordinate data and approaches and make independent recommendations to government will provide much more confidence for Australians.”
“The PHAA urges government and opposition to act immediately to avoid the further spread of AMR,” Professor Yeatman concluded