Health agency has no drug resistance plan
Minister calls report a warning to provinces of need for co-ordination
Canada’s public health agency was blasted by the auditor general Tuesday for failing to develop a national strategy to combat the threat of antimicrobial drug resistance — a problem that increasingly means patients cannot be treated for infections, some life-threatening.
As well, Auditor General Michael Ferguson revealed Health Canada is contributing to the risk by failing to promote the “prudent use” of antimicrobial drugs in animals raised for human consumption.
The findings were among several criticisms in a chapter about antimicrobial drug resistance, an issue of growing concern for health experts.
Health Minister Rona Ambrose welcomed the report, saying it will put a spotlight on an issue she called a “global public health concern.” Ambrose said that at a meeting last year with provincial and territorial health ministers, she raised the issue of developing a Canadian plan to combat the risk.
“A pan-Canadian strategy doesn’t exist without the provinces and territories,” she said. “We didn’t have a huge amount of enthusiasm. I’m very happy about this report because it will help me push the provinces to work with us on a panCanadian strategy.”
Ambrose said the federal government has taken action on its own recently, releasing a “framework” plan last fall, and an action plan this spring that outlines steps for responding to the problem.
Antimicrobial resistance threatens the prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi.
Experts warn about the rise of “super-bugs” that become a major threat to public health because they are resistant to drugs, often because they have been misused or over-used. The problem has been identified as a major threat by the World Health Organization (WHO). It has called on nations to develop national strategies that include actions in four areas:
reduce antimicrobial drugs in humans and animals;
improve surveillance of the drugs’ use;
prevent and control the spread of drug-resistant infections;
promote research and innovation.
But while the United States, Great Britain, Germany and France have done so, Canada has dragged its feet, even though it recognized as far back as 1997 that a national plan was needed.
Ferguson revealed that while the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) began to take steps in recent years to develop a strategy with other jurisdictions, such as provinces, it did not complete the job. Between 2005 and 2009, PHAC provided $900,000 to a committee to co-ordinate a national strategy. But in 2009, PHAC stopped funding the committee.
“The Public Health Agency of Canada considers that dealing with this issue requires a comprehensive approach with strong national leadership and the co-operation of all levels of government and sectors,” Ferguson said. “The agency also considers that the lack of integration and co-ordination of activities raises the health risks posed by antimicrobial resistance.”
Ferguson found PHAC did not adequately discuss the problem, as it had planned, with the provinces and other stakeholders.
While much of the focus about antimicrobials surrounds the use of drugs for humans, animals are also a major concern.
The use of antibiotics to promote livestock growth is legal on Canadian farms. The use of antibiotics in agriculture has been common practice for decades. On poultry farms, beef feedlots and in hog barns, animals are given antibiotics not only to treat existing illnesses, but often to prevent disease.