To increase health security in the EU, ECDC supports Western Balkan countries in strengthening their infectious
disease prevention and control systems and public health workforce.
In a concerted effort to combat healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the Belgian EU Presidency on 6-7 May co-hosted a conference at the national public health institute of Belgium, Sciensano, in Brussels.
One Health is a multi-sectoral approach that aims to balance and optimise the health of people, animals, plants, and their shared environment, recognising their interconnection.
Antimicrobial resistance is a major public health challenge in Europe and globally. Each year throughout the European Union (EU), Iceland and Norway, more than 35 000 people die from infections with bacteria that are resistant to antimicrobials.
ECDC, DG SANTE and EFSA, supported by a consortium composed of Epiconcept and Integrated Quality Laboratory Services (IQLS), jointly carried out a country visit to Kosovo* from 9 to 13 October 2023, which is part of ECDC’s accession support activities to contribute to the advancement of a One Health approach against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the Western Balkans.
Healthcare-associated infections are infections acquired by patients during their stay in a hospital or another healthcare setting. More than 3.5 million cases of HAI are estimated to occur in the EU/EEA each year.
