Executive Order Issued on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

Today, the President announced a new Executive Order and

to address recommendations identified by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).

As a leader in monitoring and preventing the spread of resistant infections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will leverage its expertise and build on core strengths to:

• Slow the development of resistant bacteria and prevent the spread of resistant infections.
• Strengthen National One-Health surveillance efforts to combat resistance.
• Advance development and use of rapid and innovative diagnostic tests for identification and characterization of resistant bacteria.
• Improve international collaboration and capacities for antibiotic resistance prevention, surveillance, control and antibiotic research and development.

This year alone, at least two million Americans will become sickened by antibiotic resistant infections, and 23,000 Americans will die. Antibiotic resistance costs the U.S. more than $20 billion in healthcare expenses each year.

These important plans are part of a request for $30 million for CDC’s Detect and Protect Initiative and $14 million of the National Healthcare Safety Network to ramp up this fight. These strategies and the funds needed to implement them are a down-payment to improve the nation’s ability to tackle the biggest drug-resistant threats.  

To find out more about CDC and antibiotic resistance, read a new blog post from CDC’s director, and see an infographic about why antibiotics are urgent and necessary, visit www.cdc.gov/drugresistance.

Source: CDC