On April 11 at 11:00, representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, along with other international organizations gathered at the Research Institute of Epidemiology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases for the official opening of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Center. U.S. Ambassador Spratlen participated in a ribbon cutting to open the center.
The center is made possible by a recently established Cooperative Agreement between CDC and the Ministry of Health’s Research Institute of Epidemiology, Microbiology and Infectious Disease. The newly established center will enable both partners to acquire, for the first time ever, empirical data on the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in Uzbekistan, and make substantial progress in advancing antimicrobial resistance efforts in Uzbekistan. Such efforts will improve the lives and health of Uzbeks and others in the region and reduce the incidence of these serious drug-resistant threats.
Participants recognized the strong efforts and commitment of the Government of Uzbekistan in identifying antimicrobial resistance as one of the country’s leading public health concerns and pledging to combat the rise of antibiotics-resistant bacteria in close coordination and cooperation with the World Health Organization and the United States.
The opening ceremony marked an extraordinary opportunity to improve the health and welfare of Uzbeks and all people through sustained, coordinated and complementary efforts to combat infectious disease and support prevention and control programs.
