27 September 2017, Cairo, Egypt – The WHO Regional office is conducting training on surveillance for antimicrobial resistance from 26 to 28 September 2017 in Cairo, Egypt. The workshop will gather 16 experts from 8 countries who are involved in surveillance for antimicrobial resistance. The training will introduce WHONET software, an essential tool developed for the management and analysis of microbiology laboratory data with a special focus on the analysis of antimicrobial susceptibility test results. The tool is paramount for enhancing the local use of surveillance data for local needs and for promoting collaborations and data sharing at national, regional and global levels. The training aims to create a pool of WHONET super users for the Region who can provide technical support to others.   

One of the 5 strategic objectives of the Global Action Plan for antimicrobial resistance, endorsed by the World Health Assembly in May 2015 (WHA 67.25), requests countries to strengthen knowledge through surveillance and research. This is the second of 2 training sessions on surveillance for antimicrobial resistance. 

The workshop is facilitated by the WHO staff from headquarters.