Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control

Here you will find information on antibiotic resistance and antibiotic consumption in Ireland, healthcare-associated infections and details of the Strategy for the control of Antimicrobial Resistance in Ireland (SARI).

Antibiotics are a precious resource. They are very useful drugs and save lives. However using antibiotics when they are not needed is a waste of time and money and hinders the fight against infections in the future. Using antibiotics needlessly allows bugs that cause infections to build up resistance against antibiotics and renders them useless over time. Very few new types of antibiotic are being developed, which means that we must make sure that the ones we have remain effective against infections for the sake of future generations.

• Pathogens associated with antimicrobial resistance - Carbapenemase Producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE), Enterococci / VRE, E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, S. aureus/MRSA, S. pneumoniae

• Education and Campaigns - European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD), Hand Hygiene, Infection Control & Healthcare Associated Infection

• Surveillance Systems - EARS-Net, Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption, C. difficile surveillance