IVI-led CAPTURA consortium releases first country report on AMR data in Bangladesh

Date: May 18, 2022

The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and the Communicable Disease Control program under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) of Bangladesh, shared key findings from the CAPTURA project: Capturing data on Antimicrobial resistance Patterns and Trends in Use in Regions of Asia.

CAPTURA is an IVI-led initiative to increase the volume and quality of data on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), antimicrobial consumption (AMC), and antimicrobial use (AMU) in South and Southeast Asia. The project is funded by the Fleming Fund, a UK Aid programme, and implemented in partnership with Mott MacDonald.

IVI, an international organization dedicated to discovering, developing, and delivering safe, effective, and affordable vaccines for global health, led the National Dissemination Workshop in Dhaka. The workshop reviewed two years of key CAPTURA activities in Bangladesh, providing findings to help the government formulate evidence-based AMR containment policies.

Key Accomplishments of CAPTURA in Bangladesh:

• Identified historical and current AMR, AMC, and AMU data
• Collated and analyzed four years of retrospective AMR/U data from 34 laboratories (11 public and 23 private) and 5 private model pharmacies
• Conducted comprehensive capacity-building activities to improve data management and promote data sharing nationally, regionally, and globally
• Over one million AST (antimicrobial susceptibility testing) records identified, digitized, collected, and analyzed
• Most frequently isolated bacteria: E. coli, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus, Salmonella Typhi, and Acinetobacter spp.
• No significant changes in susceptibility patterns of E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus observed over the past four years
• Detected prevalence of Multidrug Resistance (MDR), possible Extensive Drug Resistance (XDR), and Pan-Drug Resistance (PDR), necessitating close monitoring
• WHO Global Priority List of antibiotic-resistant bacteria observed to be prevalent in some settings
• Gaps in internal and external quality assessments identified across most laboratories

Statements from National Stakeholders:

“No clinicians should be able to prescribe antibiotics without reason. Our goal is to reduce antibiotics being consumed without prescriptions and to stop prescriptions being written by non-clinicians.”
— Prof. Dr. Ahmedul Kabir, ADG (Administration), DGHS, MOHFW, Bangladesh

“We will be able to use the findings from the CAPTURA project to establish an improved surveillance system in Bangladesh.”
— Major General Mohammad Yousuf, Director General, DGDA, MOHFW, Bangladesh

The CAPTURA research has significantly contributed to establishing a baseline for national laboratory and surveillance capacities. It provides essential insights for developing sustainable and systematic AMR strategies, while fostering collaboration and trust between public and private healthcare sectors.

Comments from the Project Lead:

“Identifying the gaps and opportunities for improvement in collecting, sharing, and using enhanced-quality data is an essential resource for AMR surveillance — a key component of the CAPTURA project. We’re grateful to the Government of Bangladesh for their partnership in this important effort to develop the groundwork for effective and sustainable strategies to stop the spread of antimicrobial resistance, as well as to our partner laboratories and pharmacies for their close engagement.”
— Dr. Nimesh Poudyal, Project Lead, CAPTURA

CAPTURA activities in Bangladesh were completed in collaboration with the DGHS, DGDA, and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), with support from the Fleming Fund Regional Grants.

About IVI:
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is a nonprofit intergovernmental organization established in 1997 at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, IVI is the first international organization hosted by Korea. With 39 countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) party to its founding treaty, IVI focuses on infectious diseases of global health significance such as cholera, typhoid, shigella, salmonella, schistosomiasis, Group A Strep, Hepatitis A, HPV, TB, HIV, MERS, COVID-19, and antimicrobial resistance.
Learn more: https://www.ivi.int

About the Fleming Fund:
The Fleming Fund is a UK aid investment addressing antimicrobial resistance in low- and middle-income countries. Managed by the UK Department of Health and Social Care, the Fund supports capacity building and surveillance in AMR, working in partnership with Mott MacDonald.
Learn more: https://www.flemingfund.org / @FlemingFund