Kerala Antimicrobial Resistance Strategic Action Plan (KARSAP).

This Kerala Antimicrobial Resistance Strategic Action Plan is developed, involving multiple sectors, under the One Health approach announced by World Health Organisation and moves from the consideration that Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a global issue which requires actions at every level to combat it. Therefore, this Strategic Action Plan outlines priorities and activities to achieve the objectives, outputs and outcomes, right from awareness and knowledge, surveillance, optimising antimicrobial use and provides guidance towards responsible use of antimicrobial agents in the efforts to combat AMR s most dangerous trend, that is the inappropriate use of antibiotics in humans and the antibiotic use for growth promotion and disease prevention in animals, horticulture and fisheries. This Strategic Action Plan aims at involving Kerala government to create awareness on AMR and developing skills among cross sectoral stakeholder, including medical community, through emphasising the importance of rational antibiotic use and infection control practices, the strengthening laboratory capacity for AMR surveillance and collating the data on AMR, the surveillance of infections of public health importance, the application of good infection prevention and control (IPC) measures across human health, animal health and agriculture, in order to to reduce antimicrobial residues in environment.
Following the outcomes of a State Workshop on Antimicrobial Resistance, this Strategic Action Plan develops and describes six strategic priorities and their related focus areas: 1) Awareness and understanding; 2) Knowledge and evidence; 3) Infection prevention and control; 4) Optimising use of antibiotics; 5) Research and innovations; 6) Collaborations. The first strategic priority aims at improving awareness and understanding of AMR, antibiotic abuse, antibiotics in food, labelling of food derived from animals and the One Health approach, through effective communication, education and training and concerns two focus areas: Information, Education and Communication (IEC) and Education and Training. The second strategic priority aims at strengthening knowledge and evidence for containment of AMR, and concerns two focus areas: laboratories and surveillance in food animals and their products, fisheries, dairy products and food. The third strategic priority provides for reduction of the incidence of healthcare associated infection through effective infection prevention and control (IPC), and concerns three focus areas: infection prevention and control in human health, animal feed and food and reduction of infection through effective infection prevention and control in environment. The fourth strategic priority concerns the optimisation of the use of antibiotic in animals, health and food, focusing on: the progressive reduction of the over-the counter sale of drugs; the optimisation of the use of antimicrobials in hospitals and healthcare institutions and in veterinary and aquaculture; the surveillance system for antimicrobial use at health facilities, manufacturer, distributor, seller, user and import level in humans, animals, agriculture and food sectors. The fifth strategic priority concerns research promotion for AMR containment, focusing on: defining research priorities on AMR in Kerala and research for special attention on zoonotic bacteria; alternate strategies for combating AMR- screening of phytochemical/herbal extracts. The sixth strategic priority aims at strengthening partnership between private sector and civil society organisations for AMR containment focusing on public-private partnership and State disease control programmes.

Kerala Antimicrobial Resistance Strategic Action Plan (KARSAP). One Health response to AMR Containment.

Government of Kerala. Departments of Agriculture Development and Farmers' Welfare, Animal Husbandry, Environment, Fisheries, Health and Family Welfare.

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