Antimicrobial Resistance Prevention and Containment Strategic Plan - The One Health Approach - 2021-2025 Third Edition.

The Antimicrobial Resistance Prevention and Containment Strategic Plan - The One Health Approach - 2021-2025 Third Edition (The Third Edition of the National Strategy) highlights lagging in controlling the antimicrobial resistance threats and risks by the Ethiopian Government and attributes them to an inadequate multisector approach, insufficient and poor-quality antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial data and use, lack of sustainable financing, suboptimal practices, inadequate number of trained professionals and insufficient laboratories and supplies.
In the light of above the Third Edition of the National Strategy aims at ensuring continuity of successful prevention, control and treatment of infectious diseases in the human, animal, plant and environment sectors through evidence-based prevention and containment of antimicrobial resistance following multisector collaboration through a One Health approach. the Third Edition of the National Strategy identifies the following five strategic objectives: 1) Improve awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance through effective behavior change communication, education and training. 2) Strengthen the knowledge and evidence on antimicrobial use and resistance through surveillance and research. 3) Enhance infection prevention and control through effective environmental health, infection prevention and bio-risk measures in human, animal and plant health. 4) Optimize the use of antimicrobials in human, animal and plant health care. 5) Strengthen and establish partnerships, alliances, governance and resource mobilization at all levels.
Strategic objective 1 involves 4 initiatives, 8 interventions and 18 activities and is designed to encourage a whole-of-society approach in tackling the issue of antimicrobial resistance and ensure that everyone is aware of the problem and challenges. It also seeks to ensure that individuals, communities and institutions understand their role in addressing antimicrobial resistance through effective behaviour change communication, education and training. The objective aims to improve behaviour change on antimicrobial use and resistance among the targeted groups. Strategic objective 2 aims at establishing thorough One Health approach an effective network that generates and collates data on surveillance of antimicrobial use, consumption and resistance across the human, animal and environmental interface; it involves 4 initiatives, 14 interventions and 47 activities. Strategic Objective 3 is designed to reduce the occurrence of infections and contain the spread of the resistant strains in communities and in veterinary and human health care settings through implementation of a range of recommendations and minimum requirements related to Strengthen and promote an infection prevention and control programme, Promote personal hygiene and strengthened water, sanitation and hygiene services, etc. This strategic objective involves 5 initiatives, 13 interventions and 37 activities. Strategic objective 4 promotes evidence-based policies, protocols and regulations that encourage more appropriate and rational use of antimicrobials, it involves strengthening and integrating antimicrobial stewardship into health care facilities and encourages using data on antimicrobial use, consumption and resistance to trigger changes in the behaviour of human and veterinary health care professionals, clients and other actors in the human and animal sectors. This objective involves 5 initiatives, 24 interventions and 50 activities, as explained in the operational plan. Strategic objective 5 is designed to strengthen and establish partnerships, alliances, governance and resource mobilization efforts for the effective implementation of the national strategic plan at all levels; it involves 3 initiatives, 6 interventions and 15 activities.