Antimicrobial Resistance and Prescribing in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2008

Synopsis

This is the fifth report from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) aimed at providing an overview of antimicrobial resistance in a range of pathogens of public health importance. While this report focuses on data collected by the HPA during 2007, trend data over a longer period of time are also presented to highlight that antimicrobial resistance is not a static problem but one that changes over time. As in previous reports, the emphasis is on surveillance activities undertaken by the HPA, but data on resistance in bacteria from animals, kindly provided by colleagues in the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA), are also included, reflecting inter-agency collaboration on a problem that impacts on both human  and animal health.

Last reviewed: 14 August 2009