Bridgetown, Barbados 10 April 2026 (PAHO/WHO) - The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) held the first ReLAVRA+ webinar of 2026, bringing together countries across the Region to strengthen how antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is measured, understood, and addressed.
AMR occurs when bacteria and other microorganisms change over time and no longer respond to medicines such as antibiotics, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of severe illness and death. AMR is a growing global and regional public health concern that threatens the effectiveness of treatments relied on every day.
The Latin American and Caribbean Network for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (ReLAVRA+) training is focused on helping national surveillance teams better analyse laboratory data and generate clear indicators that show how resistant bacteria are and the gravity of the problem for public health.
“Strengthening how we analyse and interpret AMR data is essential for understanding the true burden of antimicrobial resistance in our countries,” said Dr Marcelo Galas, Technical Officer for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance, AMR Special Program at PAHO/WHO. “By improving the quality and use of surveillance data, countries are better equipped to make informed decisions that protect patients and strengthen health systems,” said Dr. Galas. “Robust surveillance is not only about generating data, it is about generating insight/information…By strengthening countries’ capacity to analyse and contextualise AMR data, we move closer to understanding the real magnitude of resistance in our Region and, more importantly, to translating that knowledge into timely public health action that protects patients and preserves the effectiveness of antimicrobials,” he added.
During the session, participants explored practical approaches to strengthen the epidemiological validity and interpretability of AMR surveillance data. Particular emphasis was placed on linking antimicrobial susceptibility results with essential denominator and contextual information including the total number of specimens tested, infection syndromes, patient populations, and healthcare settings. Integrating these elements enhances the representativeness and reliability of resistance estimates, helps identify potential biases related to testing practices, and improves comparability across institutions and over time.
By strengthening these analytical foundations, countries are better equipped to generate robust AMR indicators that can inform clinical guidance, antimicrobial stewardship efforts, infection prevention policies, and national action plans. By strengthening the quality, completeness, and interpretability of AMR surveillance data, this initiative supports countries in monitoring progress toward global targets including SDG indicator 3.d.2, which tracks the proportion of bloodstream infections due to antimicrobial-resistant organisms such as E. coli resistant to third-generation cephalosporins, as well as the commitment endorsed at the United Nations General Assembly to reduce AMR-attributable mortality by 10 percent.
The webinar also highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen ReLAVRA+ as a regional surveillance system, sharing tools, examples, and recommendations to support countries in producing more reliable and comparable AMR data. These efforts are essential for guiding treatment decisions, strengthening infection prevention, and informing national and regional responses to AMR.
This first training of 2026 sets the stage for continued regional collaboration under ReLAVRA+, with increasing participation from the Caribbean, reinforcing PAHO’s commitment to supporting countries in building stronger, data-driven responses to AMR.
