Eighth Annual Report on Antimicrobial Agents Intended for Use in Animals
Since 2015, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has been monitoring the use of antimicrobials in animals – one of today’s most urgent global health threat. Every year, the Organisation publishes a report on the global and regional trends. The 8th annual report, published in 2024, highlights the trend on the use of antimicrobials in the animal health sector.
Method
The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Annual Report on Antimicrobial Agents Intended for Use in Animals gathers data provided voluntarily by Veterinary Services on the use of antimicrobials in animals. The present report has three main sections: (1) interpretation of the global and regional situation from data collected during the eight annual data collection rounds (September 2022 to May 2023); (2) detailed analyses for 2021 (total amount of antimicrobial agents, normalised using an estimated animal biomass indicator); (3) trend analyses for the years 2019 to 2021, after adjustment to the estimated animal biomass indicator.
In September 2022, WOAH invited its 182 Members and 11 non-Members to contribute to the eighth annual round of data collection on antimicrobial agents intended for use in animals. A Microsoft Excel form for direct uploading onto ANIMUSE was sent by email, with a series of accompanying guidance documents. This template included four worksheets, in which participants were invited to provide baseline information or quantitative data. The template allows participants to report data by type of use¹, animal group² and route of administration³. In addition to this form, a complementary Excel Calculation Tool was provided to countries that had used it in previous years to facilitate the reporting of comprehensive quantitative data sets; this support was also available in ANIMUSE through its Calculation Module.
These data come mainly from sales and import figures of antimicrobial agents reported at the class or subclass level, following the recommendations specified by Chapter 6.9. of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code [1] and Chapter 6.3. of the Aquatic Animal Health Code.
For the purposes of reporting and comparing data across Members, among different sectors and over time, antimicrobial quantities are normalised by the use of an estimated animal biomass indicator, which can vary in size and composition over time. This indicator represents the total weight of live domestic animals in a given population in a specific area during a year and is used as a proxy to represent those animals that have probably been exposed to the quantities of antimicrobial agents reported. Animal biomass was calculated for food-producing species of Members who reported quantitative data for 2021, primarily using data from our World Animal Health Information System and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Statistical Database. Normalised results are expressed in milligrams of antimicrobial quantities reported per kilogram of estimated animal biomass. Further details on the methodologies used for this report are available in published references.
It is important to note that the information provided belongs to our Members, and is made available to WOAH for the purpose of better understanding the global and regional situation. While no national or participant-level data are presented in this report, the supplied data are systematically sent back to Members, after validation and analysis by WOAH staff, for their own monitoring and surveillance purposes, including suggested areas for evidence-based development of their National Action Plan on AMR. For those who make their data publicly available, as indicated in Chapter 6.9 from the Terrestrial Animal Health Code [1], they are presented at the ANIMUSE public interface.
Read the full report here.
Source: https://www.woah.org/
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