A training session with the Caribbean Public Health Agency has armed Department of Health staff with skills in modern laboratory methods that help detect and track drug-resistant infections.

Antimicrobial resistance refers to the ability of pathogens to build up immunities against the medicines used to treat them — meaning that common infections grow more difficult and sometimes impossible to treat.

It is ranked as one of the world’s most serious health threats, said to contribute to nearly five million deaths globally each year.

The workshop, Carpha’s largest on the topic, was held in Trinidad and Tobago from August 25 to 29 and brought together officials from 20 Caribbean nations.

Kim Wilson, the Minister of Health, called antimicrobial resistance “a silent but growing threat that affects us all”.

“By equipping our health professionals with the latest tools and knowledge, we are protecting the safety of our food, the strength of our health system and, ultimately, the wellbeing of our people.”

Antibiotics are used to safeguard animal agriculture in Bermuda as well as human health, protecting milk, meat and other food products. Resistant bacteria can spread from animals to people, posing a risk to public health.

Health staff were trained in molecular testing techniques that enable faster and more accurate detection of resistant bacteria, allowing for better surveillance, quicker responses and stronger protection for the public.