Public Health Rapid Risk Assessment related to hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae carrying carbapenemase genes in the Region of the Americas - 20 March 2024

In view of the increased identification of isolates of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) ST23 carrying carbapenemase genes in several European countries, especially in Ireland, where a sustained spread of this lineage has been observed over a five-year period (1), and, given that hvKp strains in which genes associated with antimicrobial resistance have been detected in recent years in some countries of the Region of the Americas (2,3,4), a Rapid Risk Assessment (RRA) for public health in the Region is presented in this document.