The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) convened the first ReLAVRA+ webinar of 2026, bringing together countries across Latin America and the Caribbean to strengthen regional capacity for measuring, interpreting, and responding to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The session marked an important step in advancing coordinated surveillance efforts and improving how countries use laboratory data to guide public health action.
AMR is a growing global health threat that occurs when microorganisms such as bacteria evolve to resist the medicines designed to treat them, including antibiotics. This reduces treatment effectiveness, increases the risk of severe illness and death, and places additional strain on health systems. Strengthening surveillance and data analysis is therefore critical for understanding and responding to the scale of the problem.
The ReLAVRA+ training initiative focuses on supporting national surveillance teams to improve the analysis of laboratory data and generate reliable indicators on the prevalence and severity of antimicrobial resistance. By enhancing analytical capacity, countries can better assess resistance patterns and use evidence to inform public health decision-making.
During the webinar, Dr. Marcelo Galas of PAHO/WHO emphasized that improving the quality and interpretation of AMR data is essential to understanding the true burden of resistance. He highlighted that robust surveillance is not only about collecting data but also about transforming it into actionable insights that can guide timely interventions and protect patient health across the Region.
Participants also examined practical methods to improve the epidemiological quality of AMR surveillance data. A key focus was the importance of combining antimicrobial susceptibility results with contextual information such as specimen counts, infection types, patient populations, and healthcare settings. This integrated approach helps improve data reliability, reduces bias, and ensures more accurate comparisons across countries and time periods.
By strengthening these analytical foundations, countries are better equipped to produce high-quality AMR indicators that support clinical decision-making, antimicrobial stewardship programs, infection prevention strategies, and national action plans. The initiative also contributes to monitoring progress toward global targets, including SDG indicator 3.d.2 and the global commitment to reduce AMR-related mortality by 10 percent.
The webinar further showcased ongoing efforts to enhance ReLAVRA+ as a coordinated regional surveillance system by promoting shared tools, methodologies, and best practices. These efforts are essential for ensuring that AMR data is consistent, comparable, and useful for guiding both national and regional health responses.
Overall, the first ReLAVRA+ training of 2026 reinforces PAHO’s commitment to strengthening regional collaboration and building data-driven approaches to tackle antimicrobial resistance, with growing engagement from Caribbean countries and continued support for improving public health surveillance systems across the Region.
