CDC Launches Two Global Networks, Awards $22 Million to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance and Infectious Diseases

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today that it has awarded $22 million to nearly 30 organizations around the world to combat antimicrobial resistance (AR) and other healthcare threats through the establishment of two new networks — the Global Action in Healthcare Network (GAIHN) and the Global AR Laboratory and Response Network (Global AR Lab & Response Network).

These two new networks, paired with additional short-term research projects, will span more than 50 countries worldwide and build programs that focus on preventing infections in health care through proven infection control; build laboratory capacity to detect antimicrobial-resistant organisms in healthcare, the community, and environment; and develop new and innovative ways to more rapidly detect and respond to threats like AR and COVID-19.

This work builds on successful U.S. efforts launched through CDC’s AR Solutions Initiative since 2016 and will complement ongoing, effective global work underway by CDC and public health partners worldwide. These networks and research projects will tackle threats covered in CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2019 and other healthcare-associated infections.

“Antimicrobial resistance is not going away and new AR threats will continue to emerge. CDC’s domestic AR Lab Network is an established model for detecting emerging antimicrobial resistance threats. Today, these new investments will build on this model and span much of the globe, leveraging proven expertise to fill critical gaps and inform data-driven responses before threats can spread in communities, across borders, or around the world,” said Denise Cardo, MD, Director of CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. “We also know that evidence-based prevention in health care stops AR threats and other infectious diseases. These new programs will fill infection control gaps to keep patients safe and contain threats immediately when they do inevitably emerge.”

The 28 organizations receiving funding include: American Society for Microbiology (ASM); American Type Culture Collection (ATCC); American University of Beirut; Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL); Columbia University; Duke University; Family Health International (FHI360); FIOTEC; Global Scientific Solutions for Health; Health Security Partners; icddr,b; Johns Hopkins University; Koperasi Jasa Institut Riset Eijkman; Northwestern University; Pakistan National Institute of Health; Pan American Health Organization (PAHO); The Ohio State University; U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation (CRDF); Universidad de Desarrollo; University of Campinas; University of Cantabria; University of Nairobi; University of Oxford; University of Pennsylvania; Vanderbilt University; Washington State University; Washington University  in St. Louis; and World Health Organization (WHO).

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