RIVM publishes a wide range of articles and reports on antimicrobial resistance.

Resistant bacteria do not stop at national borders. This is why it is important to collaborate with other countries to fight antimicrobial resistance. If the surrounding countries have lower levels of resistant bacteria, the Netherlands will also benefit.

To reduce antimicrobial resistance, the Netherlands has adopted the One Health approach: a joint approach to resistance in humans, animals and the environment. To that end, RIVM collaborates with many different regional, national and international authorities, care facilities and organisations.

A number of resistant micro-organisms found in humans, animals, food and the environment are monitored in the Netherlands. These micro-organisms include bacteria and fungi. Surveillance also includes other AMR-related activities, such as the use of antimicrobial medicines, outbreaks involving highly resistant micro-organisms (HRMO) in care facilities, and healthcare-related infections. This is coordinated by RIVM and various collaborating parties.

Antibiotic resistance or antimicrobial resistance?In addition to bacteria, other micro-organisms do not always respond well to treatment with medicines either. These micro-organisms include fungi, viruses and parasites. Antimicrobial resistance is therefore a growing concern.

Limiting the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance: that is the main goal of the national strategy to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The intended outcome is that infections can continue to be treated effectively with antibiotics in the future.

RIVM carries out a range of activities to monitor antibiotics use and the number of infections with resistant bacteria.  

Compared to their European colleagues, Dutch general practitioners (GPs) are cautious when it comes to prescribing antibiotics – and for good reason, as unnecessary antibiotics use increases the risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and needlessly exposes patients to side effects. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement in the Netherlands as well as elsewhere.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a threat to public health. To protect ourselves against AMR, we need to know how often and where these multi-resistant microorganisms occur and if there are any trends to identify. The Netherlands Medical Microbiological Laboratories (MMLs) exchange relevant data with the National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM). RIVM systematically collects and analyses this data to gain insight into the spread of infections. The information outcome is presented to healthcare providers to help them prevent infections. To start prevention at an early stage, sharing information should be faster, better and unambiguous. That is why we need common language.