Strengthening National and Regional AMR Detection and Surveillance in the Caribbean Community

This example describes a project launched in 2018 by PAHO, the Argentinian Malbran Institute, and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) State Members to strengthen AMR detection and reporting capacities in the Caribbean. The initiative trained over 300 healthcare professionals, improved laboratory quality assurance, and fostered regional collaboration, significantly enhancing AMR surveillance and compliance with international health regulations across 14 CARICOM member states.

In 2018, a triangular cooperation initiative was formulated in 2018 by  the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), together with the Argentinian Malbran Institute and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) aiming to address the need to reinforce capacities in detecting and reporting AMR among CARICOM member states.

The project, endorsed and partially funded by the Argentine Fund for International Cooperation (FO.AR) and PAHO, supported CARICOM´s strategic policy plan on health and helped Caribbean countries to achieve compliance with international health regulations by strengthening capacities to conduct high qual­ity testing for the detection of AMR, collate and analyze AMR labora­tory data and use the laboratory results to monitor trends and improve prescribing practices and AMR prevention, interventions and polices. It also contributed to implementation of the Global Antimicrobial Surveillance System (GLASS) developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), as part of global efforts to monitor the burden of disease and impact of interventions related to AMR.

The project objectives included:

• Improving the capacity for diagnosis and characterization of AMR in clinical, veterinary and food laborato­ries.
• Establishing national programmes for external quality assurance of AMR diagnosis.
• Implementing a system of AMR data sharing in the Caribbean region.
• Promoting and enhancing the use of AMR data for public health actions.

During the project (2019-2021) over 300 nurses, physicians and laboratory special­ists from seven Caribbean countries were trained in specimen collection, virtual training in AMR detection and surveillance was carried out to moret han 100 participants, 12 countries joined a laboratory external quality assurance, and several professionals from diferent CARICOM membre states were trained at various collaborating Argentine institutions.

To foster horizontal partnerships through network collaboration, PAHO expanded its Latin American Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (ReLAVRA) to include Caribbean countries. With 25 years of experience in AMR surveillance, ReLAVRA offers CARICOM member states a valuable opportunity to benefit from the experiences of other nations, exchange knowledge, share best practices, and leverage successful initiatives in the fight against AMR. This approach strengthens South-South cooperation and ensures the project’s sustainability.

By the project’s conclusion, reinforced regional ties had significantly enhanced the capacity for AMR diagnosis and surveillance among 14 CARICOM member states, demonstrating that horizontal cooperation is an effective method for facilitating a rich exchange of experiences.

Notably, while the COVID-19 pandemic introduced competing priorities due to the emergency, it also underscored the project’s importance by highlighting the serious impact of emerging drug-resistant infections in the region.

If you would like to learn more about this project, you can find it in the Good Practices in South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable Development – Volume 4, page 80.