Finland National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2017-2021.

The present National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance describes the current situation to combat antimicrobial resistance in Finland and proposes new actions to correct observed defects and to strengthen different areas of resistance control in the future. The Plan's overarching goal is to maintain antimicrobial medicines efficacious in Finland. It comprises six operative areas, and describes the current situation in all of them, and sets objectives and records actions to achieve their objectives. The responsible parties for each action are also presented. The areas of operation and their major proposed actions are: Area 1. Training and education. Major actions in animal and food safety include: • Increase training of veterinarians and other operators on the prudent use of antimicrobials and on their environmental impacts; Intensify provision of up-to-date information on antimicrobials to veterinarians; and • Produce materials for consumers on the use of antimicrobials for the treatment of diseases in production and other animals as well as on the resistance risks associated with stuffs. Area 2. Nationally coordinated One Health surveillance. Major actions in animal and food safety include: Promote the use of reliable and rapid laboratory diagnostics and susceptibility testing to support animal pharmacotherapies; • Continue the surveillance of zoonotic, pathogen and indicator bacteria resistance following the EU legislation and national decisions; and • Construct an information system to collect user data on antimicrobials covering all animal species. Area 3. Prevention of infections and controlling the spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Major actions in animal and food safety include: • The food industry implements quarantine and examination practices for the importation of all production animal materials to prevent the entry into Finland of predisposing viral infections and difficult-to-manage bacterial infections; • Prepare a biosecurity plan for all production animal farms to prevent the spread of infectious diseases; • Intensify measures to ensure the availability of medicines in the Finnish market; and • Enhance the competence in infection control at animal health clinics and hospitals, and provide them with information on good practice. Area 4. Guidelines on antimicrobial use for professionals. Major actions in animal and food safety: • Set national objectives for volume of antimicrobial use in animal; and • Recognise animal groups with a higher use of antimicrobials compared with other groups and take measures to reduce the need to use them. Area 5. Research. Major actions: • Propose basic and applied research programmes related to antimicrobial resistance and infectious diseases and support domestic and international networking of researchers in the field; and • Promote and support the research on AMR and infectious diseases in the veterinary science. Area 6. Administrative structures. Major actions: • Ensure the inclusion of the combat of AMR in the legislation of the appropriate administrative sectors; and • Enhance administrative cooperation across and between sectors and stakeholders.