Sharing critical health info

Re: Tories blocking info on illnesscausing bacteria, Nov. 18.

Antimicrobial resistance is a serious concern to public health. The Public Health Agency of Canada is doing its part to help reduce, limit, and control the emergence and spread of resistant organisms. We know that accurate and recent information is critical to the work of health practitioners dealing with this issue in Canadian hospitals and communities.

That’s why we share information with our partners and stakeholders as soon as possible by sending it directly to health professionals, by making it available on request, and by sharing it at technical conferences and other events. We continue to share our reports regularly with the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada (AMMI), and then work toward having them available on the agency website.

The integrity of the information we provide publicly is of utmost importance. To produce a surveillance report we validate, analyze, integrate and interpret the collected epidemiological and laboratory data, all while considering the privacy of patients.

We are always working on ways to improve the timeliness of making our reports public. We work with partners to encourage the careful use of antibiotics by healthcare professionals, pharmacists, patients, farmers, veterinarians and food producers. Antimicrobial resistance is a complex problem that requires the engagement of many partners here in Canada and abroad to find solutions.

DR. GREGORY TAYLOR, Deputy Chief Public Health Officer of Canada