StAR Newsletter

26.06.2025 - The Swiss National Reference Center for Emerging Antibiotic Resistance (NARA) collects multidrug-resistant Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria recovered across all Switzerland. Its main tasks are to identify corresponding resistance mechanisms, either already known or newly emerging, and to alert the stakeholders about any clinically significant threat. Furthermore, NARA aims to support clinical labs in their surveillance task by developing diagnostic tests and support epidemiological investigations at the country level.

Monitoring carried out in 2024 shows that 86% of hospitals have antimicrobial stewardship activities in place. The majority of these hospitals monitor antibiotic use and have evidence-based guidelines for antibiotic treatment or perioperative antibiotic use. Half of the hospitals with stewardship activities report having a formal antimicrobial stewardship program.

10.03.2025 - Canton Geneva teamed up with the Agora d’Hypatie publishing house to make an unusual contribution to WAAW 2024: a comic book on antibiotic resistance including aspects of One Health aimed at 8-year-olds.

10.03.2025 - Test your microbiology knowledge with this new quiz, designed by the University of Zurich to highlight five pathogens that play a significant role in antimicrobial resistance (AMR). These microorganisms challenge healthcare by resisting antibiotic treatments. Prove your expertise and learn more about these impactful microorganisms.

10.03.2025 - The StAR-3 project aims to offer a comprehensive handbook to support the implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programmes in hospitals. To develop relevant implementation tools, a call for project proposals was conducted. Of the 22 projects submitted, seven receive financial support. The resulting implementation tools will be made available to hospitals as part of the comprehensive handbook at the end of 2026.

10.03.2025 - On 23 October 2024, a synthesis workshop was held on ongoing and recently completed resourcing projects run by the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) around the topic of antibiotics in agriculture. The project organisations of the three resourcing projects «Sanierung der von Staphylokokkus aureus Genotyp B (SAGB) verursachten Mastitis» (cleaning up mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus genotype B (SAGB), «Kälbergesundheitsdienst» (calf health service) and «Kometian» exchanged experiences, lessons learned and challenges for the future. The aim was to find out how the positive results of the individual resourcing projects can be disseminated and thus generate a long-term impact in terms of reducing the need for antibiotics beyond the duration of the resourcing projects.

11.11.2024 - In summer 2024, for the first time since the Swiss veterinary antibiotic information system (IS ABV) was introduced, veterinarians received a report on antibiotic prescribing in dogs, cats and equines in their practice or clinic. This practice-specific report will allow inter-practice comparisons of antibiotic usage in 2022 and 2023.

11.11.2024 - Antibiotics are indispensable in modern medicine. But just how often are they taken in Switzerland? What do the people of Switzerland know about the correct use of antibiotics, the risks they entail and antibiotic resistance? The fifth survey conducted as part of the Swiss Strategy on Antibiotic Resistance (StAR) provides insights into the current situation.

11.11.2024 - The UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) was held on 26 September 2024 at the UN Headquarters in New York. The FOPH was represented in the Swiss delegation led by Thomas Gürber, Deputy State Secretary at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. This was the second time that leaders from around the world had met at this level to tackle the global threat of drug-resistant infections.

10.07.2024 - The StAR-3 project on Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) aims to offer a comprehensive handbook to support the implementation of ASPs in hospitals. The first edition of the ASP handbook was recently published. Infectiologists, experts in infection prevention and control, pharmacists, microbiologists, and other healthcare professionals are now invited to suggest additional implementation aids to supplement the handbook.

10.07.2024 - The transition to patient-centric healthcare emphasizes patient participation in research and innovation, leveraging co-design and human-centered principles for collaborative healthcare solutions. In this direction, the MAKEAWARE! initiative, part of the flagship project SPEARHEAD and promoted by Innouisse, aims to empower citizens as active contributors in limiting Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) through experiential workshops and digital tools based on crowd data collection and science engagement strategies.

10.07.2024 - Time and again, doctors face the dilemma: should or shouldn’t they prescribe antibiotics for their patients? The Bern Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM) has been steadily developing tools since 2020 that should help GPs make such decisions in their daily professional lives. These tools have been available for five common conditions since 2023. And they’re being increasingly embraced within the medical world.

10.07.2024 - Switzerland’s Antimicrobial Stewardship in Ambulatory Care Platform (ASAP) is intended to promote good practices in the prescription of antibiotics in the country’s ambulatory care sector and, in the longer term, to help reduce antibiotic resistance nationwide. The platform has been established under the broader Swiss Strategy on Antibiotic Resistance (StAR) and developed in collaboration with the College of Primary Care Medicine (CPCM).

10.07.2024 - Antibiotic resistance continues to grow worldwide, increasingly threatening the effectiveness of antibiotics used to treat infections and placing a financial burden on health systems. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) forecasts, the resulting additional health costs for Switzerland will amount to CHF 102–444 million per year by 2050. On 26.06.2024, the One Health Action Plan for the Swiss Strategy on Antibiotic Resistance (StAR) 2024 – 2027 was adopted by the Federal Council. The federal measures successfully implemented under StAR since 2016 will thus be further strengthened.

10.07.2024 - New antibacterial drugs can save lives. Between 2010 and 2020, in the US, Canada, Europe and Japan, a total of 18 new antibacterial drugs were first approved and launched in at least one country. An analysis shows, however, that – even in high-income countries, including Switzerland – many of these new substances are launched with a time lag or not at all.

The 2023 World AMR Awareness Week was another success, thanks to the commitment and the creativity of its participating organisations. The centres for hygiene and infection prevention and control of Canton Vaud (HPCi Vaud) and the Canton Vaud University Hospital (CHUV) teamed up to devise ‹Mission Antibiotix›, an online game that sensitises players to the whole issue of antibiotic resistance and correct antibiotic treatments.

What priorities should the national Strategy on Antibiotic Resistance (StAR) focus on in the coming years? The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) discussed this question with experts from various disciplines. The inputs from the workshop will be incorporated in the One Health Action Plan 2024 – 27.

Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASP) are important for optimizing the use of antibiotics in the inpatient sector. A consortium of seven organizations has therefore started a project to support Swiss hospitals in starting and improving such programs.

ANRESIS is a representative national monitoring system and research tool for antibiotic resistance and antibiotic consumption. In addition to the anresis.ch website, a newly programmed web application called the ANRESIS Guide and an interactive dashboard for monitoring in-hospital antibiotic consumption are available to Swiss doctors.

Antibiotics are among the most frequently used drugs in paediatric and adolescent medicine. Data from Germany, the United States and Switzerland show that the majority of antibiotic prescriptions in paediatrics and adolescent medicine are for respiratory tract infections. It is estimated that in one-third of these cases, the use of antibiotics is unnecessary. This is where rational therapy comes in: only children and adolescents who are likely to benefit from such a therapy should be treated with antibiotics.

The Swiss Antibiotic Resistance Report (SARR) is the national report on the antibiotic resistance situation in Switzerland. The report not only focuses on antibiotic consumption and resistance in human and veterinary medicine, but also on the impacts in the environment (One Health approach).

02/2023: Improving the effectiveness of antibiotics, curbing resistance: researchers working on the “Antimicrobial Resistance” national research programme (NRP 72) have presented numerous new findings and instruments at a conference and discussed these with representatives of practitioners and policymakers.

There is still room for improvement when it comes to prescribing antibiotics in outpatient settings. As part of the Strategy on Antibiotic Resistance (StAR), various tools have been developed for doctors for this purpose.

Almost one-fifth of Switzerland’s population took antibiotics in the course of last year. But what does the average Swiss know about these medicines? Or about the growing resistance problem? Do they use them correctly? A representative population survey identified knowledge gaps, that need to be filled.

Multi-resistant pathogens are a serious and increasing problem in today's medicine. Researchers at Empa and ETH Zurich have now developed a completely new method that allows multi-resistant pathogens to be killed in a targeted manner.

30.08.2021 - "Reducing resistance to antibiotics is a huge challenge, and we will be successful only if the offices responsible for human medicine, veterinary medicine, agriculture and the environment work together."

30.08.2021 - "Animal health is crucially important for sustainable animal production. Antibiotic use in agricultural animal husbandry has declined by 50 % in the last 10 years."

The Information System on Antibiotics in Veterinary Medicine (IS ABV) records all antibiotic treatments administered by veterinarians. The IS ABV allows the causes of high antibiotic deployment to be investigated and for targeted measures to be developed.

Implementation of the Strategy on Antibiotic Resistance is being monitored by a formative evaluation over the course of about four years. Thereafter, an interim evaluation will allow any necessary amendments to the strategy and its implementation to be made.

Resistance that bacteria can develop against antibiotics is a challenge. This challenge is being met jointly by various offices in Switzerland according to the One-Health principle. This is because antibiotic resistance has an impact in all areas: humans, animals and the environment. Katharina Stärk, Head of the Animal Health Division FSVO, explains why One Health is so important.

03.10.2023 - The new report on consumption and resistance of antibiotics in humans and animals in Switzerland has been published. Despite many measures and successes that have been implemented, further efforts are needed to contain antibiotic resistance. Watch the video with Stefan Kuster, Head of Communicable Diseases FOPH.

30.08.2021 - "The fight against COVID-19 and against antibiotic resistance also highlights the importance of the One Health strategy, which aims to improve human and animal health in an intact environment."

Reducing antibiotic consumption and improving animal welfare for the same fattening efficiency – the «outdoor calf» research project being conducted by the Vetsuisse faculty at the University of Bern shows that this can be achieved in calf fattening. Find out more in this guest article by Jens Becker.

Antibiotics are still being prescribed too often in Switzerland. But tools are now available to assist general practitioners with shared decisions on whether to prescribe antibiotics. They help the doctor to advise their patients and are also suitable for further training in quality circles. A research team from the Institute of Primary Health Care in Bern recently received an award from the Swiss Society for General Internal Medicine for this innovative tool.

In the last two years SARS-CoV-2 has dominated activity at healthcare facilities. Other challenges, such as preventing and controlling multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) and monitoring newly emerging pathogens such as Candida auris, have taken a back seat. Swissnoso has recently published new guidelines for hospitals on these matters.

Veterinarians must record prescriptions of antibiotics in the Information System on Antibiotics in Veterinary Medicine (IS ABV), which they have implemented quickly and reliably. After the report on livestock, the first report on data from dogs, cats and horses is now also available. It contains an overview of quantities of antibiotics, the number of prescriptions and the number of animals treated.

18.11.2021 - Nadine Metzger, former co-project leader StAR «Animal» at the FSVO, talks in the video about her personal insights and experiences after five years of implementing the StAR strategy.

Resistant bacteria can be transmitted to humans from food and animals. Where is the risk greatest and how can consumers be motivated to reduce this risk? A research project conducted as part of NFP 72 «Antimicrobial resistance» provides answers to these questions.

Overshadowed by COVID-19, antibiotic resistance continues to spread worldwide. The development of new antibiotics could help to solve the problem – but is enough being done currently? Experts invited by GARDP, a not-for-profit organisation that aims to develop and bring to market new antibiotics, discussed this question.

30.08.2021 - "As a proponent of the One Health approach I would say that the StAR strategy has great significance for me and the FOPH. It’s a first successful step in terms of interdisciplinary prevention in Switzerland."

In the video with Julia Bielicki, MD, and Prof. Andreas Widmer, MD, you will learn what an antimicrobial stewardship programme is and how they are implemented in hospitals. One of the aims of the strategy is for antibiotics to be used responsibly in human medicine. Hospitals are required to introduce programmes to ensure the best possible use of antibiotics.

The Canton of Fribourg seeks to reduce antibiotic use in dairy farming. Its ReLait project focuses on prevention measures in udder health, uterine health and calf health.

Infections in horses are often treated with antibiotics. Bacteria can mutate and become resistant to active substances. One example of this is wound infections with MRSA germs which impair wound healing.

Around a fifth of the Swiss population has taken antibiotics in the last twelve months. But what do the public know about these drugs and about the development of antibiotic resistance? Are antibiotics used correctly? A representative survey highlights the knowledge gaps that need to be addressed.

Healthy hooves are essential to successful cattle-raising. With its «Healthy hooves – a firm foundation for the future» project, Switzerland is seeking among other things to bring about a long-term reduction in the use of antibiotics and disinfectants containing heavy metals.

The government has taken various measures to curb the increase in antibiotic resistance. Records have already been kept for a long time on the quantity of antibiotics sold, for instance. The Information System on Antibiotics in Veterinary Medicine (IS ABV) was set up to provide more precise details of the consumption of antibiotics in individual animal species and types of use. Veterinarians are required to enter all prescriptions for antibiotics for pets and livestock in this system. The second report with comprehensive, detailed information on the use of antibiotics is now available.

Multidrug-resistant pathogens pose an increasing risk to public health. To contain the spread of these types of bacteria, it is important to detect them early on. In Switzerland, this is done by the national reference laboratory for early detection and surveillance of new forms of antibiotic resistance (NARA).