Meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (ReLAVRA+)

Medellin, Colombia, 11-13 July 2023

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) organized the meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (ReLAVRA+) in Medellín, Colombia, from 11 to 13 July 2023 with the participation of representatives from Latin America, the Caribbean (including the Dutch, French, English and US territories), WHO Geneva and Regional Office for Europe and prioritized partners in regional technical cooperation (CDC, University of Oxford, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment of the Netherlands - RIVM, Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance-CGPS, Global Typhoid Genomics Consortium (TyphiNET).

Strengthening surveillance was one of the five key strategic objectives outlined in the global and regional action plans. This work was essential to raise awareness of the AMR problem and informed appropriate prevention actions, treatment guidelines and patient safety measures. The incorporation of new genomic and proteomic technologies, information technologies tools to facilitate data collection, validation and analysis, rapid detection and emergency response outbreak identification and control are essential to prevent the emergence and spread of AMR.