8: Policy Approaches to Containing Antimicrobial Resistance

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing threat in the United States and containing its spread through action when even a single case of an antimicrobial resistant bacteria is identified is a priority public health strategy. In this episode, we will hear national and state perspectives on the prevention and containment of unusually resistant bacteria. The co-author of the April 2018 CDC Vital Signs report on containing unusual resistance provides an overview of the CDC strategy and Nebraska state health leadership discusses policy approaches to preventing and containing antimicrobial resistance. GUESTS: Arjun Srinivasan, Associate Director, Healthcare-Associated Infection Prevention Program, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, CDC Thomas Williams, Chief Medical Officer and Director, Office of Public Health, Nebraska Department of Public Health. Maureen Tierney, Director, Healthcare Associated Infections/Antimicrobial Resistance Program, Nebraska Department of Public Health RESOURCES: For more information about the fight to contain and control drug-resistant bacteria visit the ASTHO website at http://www.astho.org/Infectious-Disease/Antimicrobial-Resistance/ Read the CDC Vital Signs report online at https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/containing-unusual-resistance/index.html Nebraska's work on this topic can be reviewed at http://dhhs.ne.gov/publichealth/HAI/Documents/CRE%20Outbreak%20Response%20Guidelines.pdf