Livestock Deptt sets up Disease Investigation Laboratory under AMR Resistance Surveillance Plan.

PESHAWAR -- The Livestock and Dairy Development Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has established a Disease Investigation Laboratory (DIL) at Peshawar with the objective of implementing Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Surveillance Plan in animal health sector.

'Disease Investigation Laboratory Peshawar is established, designated and notified as the Provincial Reference Laboratory on AMR in the Animal Health Sector,' informed Dr Syed Asad Ali Shah, Epidemiologist and AMR Focal Person for Animal Health Livestock and Dairy Development Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Talking to reporter here on Wednesday, Chief Epidemiologist Livestock Department apprised that the AMR Surveillance plan was in line with the National Surveillance Strategy for Antimicrobial Resistance in Healthy Food Animals developed by Ministry of National Food Security and Research.

The lab was established with the support of Fleming Fund Country Grand Pakistan, a UK based aid programme supporting up to 24 countries across Africa and Asia to tackle antimicrobial resistance, he added.

The capacity and competency of DIL Peshawar will be enhanced accordingly to serve as a lead lab for the province for AMR sampling, testing, training, quality control, interpretation and data reporting for animal health sector.

The lab would also develop close linkages with National Veterinary Laboratories Islamabad and National Reference Laboratory for Poultry Disease Islamabad, Dr Asad continued.

Livestock and Dairy Development Department had recently completed a baseline survey for collection of updated information regarding livestock population and livestock related enterprises in the province. This livestock survey would also be used as a relevant source for the selection of sampling frame, he said.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, Dr Shah added, had taken the initiative of formulating Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Surveillance Plan to provide a framework for implementation of required interventions for AMR containment in animal health sector of the province.

The rapid emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance in humans, animals and environment was becoming a multifaceted challenge that impacts global public health and food security and threatens attainment of Sustainable Development Goals, he explained.

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