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Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) – which occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines traditionally used to combat them - is one of the top global public health and development threats facing the world today.
To combat this threat, academics from LSE Health will work with WHO Europe on the world’s first AMR Accountability Index for Europe and Central Asia. The Index, which is broadly supported by all 53 member states, will benchmark progress on AMR across the WHO European Region, and support member states in their response efforts.
The initiative, which will launch next year, will be led by a team from LSE Health, spearheaded by Professor Elias Mossialos.
On the new initiative, Professor Mossialos said: "We are excited to collaborate with the WHO on developing an AMR Accountability Index, aimed at setting clear targets to help countries mobilise commitment and take action on AMR control measures."
Announcing the news, WHO Europe Director Dr Hans Henri P Kluge wrote in Euronews this week that tackling AMR resistance is fundamental to safeguarding modern medicine:
"We have a choice: to be the generation that takes definitive action against AMR, safeguarding our health and the health of future generations. Or to be the generation that squandered the opportunity before us, potentially jeopardising modern medicine as we know it."
The Accountability Index, which will launch in 2025, and will serve as a benchmarking tool to assess and measure national performance in addressing AMR. Its development will be grounded in rigorous evidence synthesis and consensus-driven methodologies.
The Index will encompass several critical domains relevant to AMR governance, including policy commitment and leadership, resource allocation and financing, surveillance and data reporting, policy implementation and enforcement, public and professional engagement, as well as monitoring and evaluation of outcomes.
Following its development and implementation in the WHO European region, the Index will undergo consultations aimed at adapting and extending its application to other WHO regions.
In a commentary published in the Lancet Microbe this week, the team outline the need for and strategy behind the Index in the global fight against AMR. The full commentary can be accessed here.