OTTAWA – The auditor general is urging the federal government and Canada’s public health authorities to get serious about the growing threat of drug-resistant infections.
In his spring report, auditor Michael Ferguson says the Public Health Agency of Canada has failed to mobilize its federal, provincial and territorial counterparts in developing a national strategy to deal with so-called antimicrobial resistance.
Ferguson’s audit found that the agency collects only limited information on drug-resistant infections at clinics and long-term care facilities, and lacks details about the extent of the problem in remote areas and among vulnerable members of the population.
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He also found the agency buys its information about antimicrobial drug use in humans from a private company, and as a result knows little about the scope of the situation.
The audit also recommends that Health Canada take additional steps to promote the proper use of the drugs in food animals, which can contribute to antimicrobial resistance.
It says the department should review antimicrobials regularly to determine whether their use as a veterinary treatment increases the risk of the drugs becoming ineffective in humans.
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