In coordination with World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW) a major congress saw global health leaders gather in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on November 18-19 to share the latest knowledge around the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Organized by the Public Health Center of Ukraine in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, supported by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, and joined by international partners (CDC, WHO, ECDC) and technical assistance projects, the II Congress “Combating the Spread of Antimicrobial Resistance” brought together epidemiologists, microbiologists, clinicians, and infection prevention specialists to exchange leading practical achievements and research findings in the field of AMR prevention.
Since 2022, ICAP has been actively supporting Ukraine’s health system to tackle AMR, which has become an increasingly critical challenge as a result of the ongoing military conflict in the country.
Three specialists from ICAP’s team in Ukraine participated in the congress, offering presentations that covered a wide range of factors involved in combatting AMR, and highlighting ICAP’s expanding expertise and experience in the field.
ICAP strategic information and epidemiology specialist, Anastasiia Zhabko, presented on “The Global Action in Healthcare Network-Antimicrobial Resistance Module (GAIHN-AR) in Ukraine: First Experience with Implementing Active Screening for Colonization with Carbapenem-Resistant Organisms.”
ICAP laboratory specialist, Liudmyla Ishchenko, spoke on “Cooperation Between Bacteriologists and Clinicians: Practical Experience in Improving the Quality of Blood Cultures.”
ICAP clinical specialist, Mariia Panasiuk, gave a presentation entitled “Surveillance and Response to Multidrug-Resistant Organisms in Hospitals – From Data to Action.”
ICAP representatives also acted as moderators at the round table discussion “Problems of Organizing Routine Surveillance of HAI in Healthcare Facilities.” The purpose of the discussion was to identify the most significant gaps in surveillance of health care-associated infections and AMR and to consider ways to address them.
A recording of the Congress is available here.
For more information about ICAP’s AMR work, please visit: https://icap.columbia.edu/what-we-do/health-challenges/amr/
About ICAP
A major global health organization that has been improving public health in countries around the world for two decades, ICAP works to transform the health of populations through innovation, science, and global collaboration. Based at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, ICAP has projects in more than 40 countries, working side-by-side with ministries of health and local governmental, non-governmental, academic, and community partners to confront some of the world’s greatest health challenges. Through evidence-informed programs, meaningful research, tailored technical assistance, effective training and education programs, and rigorous surveillance to measure and evaluate the impact of public health interventions, ICAP aims to realize a global vision of healthy people, empowered communities, and thriving societies. Online at icap.columbia.edu
