Ireland - Minister of State for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for Research and Development, Noel Grealish TD, and Minister of State for the Department of Health with special responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Jennifer Murnane O’Connor TD, have today launched a report entitled Ireland’s First Gap Analysis Report on Research needs in Relation to Antimicrobial Resistance.
The report, by researchers from Maynooth University, provides a comprehensive review of
previous and ongoing research in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) across human and animal health in the Republic of Ireland from 2017 to 2023 and an update on research in relation to the environmental dimension of AMR in an Irish context from April 2021 to December 2023.Antimicrobial resistance or AMR is a global threat and an urgent challenge. It poses a significant risk to human health and requires a collaborative multidisciplinary approach to promote actions across the human, animal and environmental sectors to achieve the best health outcomes for all three sectors. In order to address AMR in a holistic way, Ireland has adopted a cross Departmental ‘One Health’ approach to AMR, led jointly by the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. In collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, the Departments jointly published Ireland’s second One Health National Action Plan on AMR 2021 – 2025, known as iNAP2, in 2021. The first AMR Research Gap Analysis Report, published today, is an important action under iNAP2.
The Gap Analysis Report shows that in certain aspects, Irish researchers have been to the global forefront of ongoing research on AMR. However, Irish research requires considerable expansion in research areas for novel diagnostics/therapeutics and vaccines. Irish research to date has generated a good baseline of knowledge relating to the challenges of AMR but there is a need to transition to an approach of analysing these challenges across One Health. The report also indicates that Irish research needs to focus on providing solutions or alternatives to the identified AMR problems to minimise the impact of AMR to human, animal, and environmental health.
Commenting on the publication of this report, Minister Grealish stated:
“This timely report highlights the need for more research that examines One Health in its entirety, in relation to the complexity of the intersectoral interactions and how these interactions contribute to AMR. One Health collaboration will act to mitigate the impact of current and future health challenges. In a world of increasing uncertainty, complexity and change, a One Health approach is crucial to safeguard the interests of society as a whole”.
Minister Jennifer Murnane O’Connor added:
“This report identifies areas of focus for AMR research across the One Health sectors. AMR is a challenge not just for human health but for animal health and the environmental sector also. This research is an important piece of work under our current national action plan on AMR, iNAP2, and the findings will guide our approach as we work to develop our next action plan.”
An AMR One Health Thematic Network was established under strategic objective 5 of INAP to facilitate, support and promote co-ordination, synergies and liaison between relevant funding organisations and researchers across the One Health sectors. This report was produced by a subgroup of the AMR One Health Thematic Network who gave generously of their time to produce the report and were led by Professor Fiona Walsh of Maynooth University.
“Research on new therapeutics, vaccines, diagnostics, economic models, AMR transmission and the scientific data required to create these solutions are areas for future funding,”
said Professor Walsh of MU’s Department of Biology and the Kathleen Lonsdale Institute for Human Health Research which funded the project.
“With the information in this document, policy makers, funders of research and researchers can see what we have done well in terms of researching AMR in Ireland, and importantly, what innovations are needed to protect people, agriculture and our environment from AMR in the future,”
she added.
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