Status of Viet Nam’s national action plan on antimicrobial resistance in aquaculture

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance has been considered as one of the biggest global concerns in terms of negative impacts on public health, resistant pathogens and environmental problems. This paper aims to review the present status in Viet Nam regarding Antibiotic Use (AMU) and Antibiotic Resistance (AMR) in aquaculture. To implement the National Action Plan (NAP) on Drug Resistance 2013–2020, the Vietnamese Government has established a national public health network that follows the “One Health Approach” and the National Steering Committee for Prevention and Control of Aquatic Animal Diseases, AMU and AMR in Aquaculture. The Government has also issued the NAP for Controlling AMU and AMR in Livestock Production and Aquaculture period 2017–2020. To promote awareness, national television programs and communication campaigns were conducted to increase awareness of AMR among farmers and other stakeholders. Farmers were also instructed on proper AMU and provided vital information on AMR. Pilot projects on the surveillance for AMR in cultured catfish and the use of antibiotics in shrimp and catfish aquaculture were carried out to gather evidence on AMU and AMR status in the country. In addition, households raising tilapia and traditional freshwater fish were interviewed for information on AMU and AMR in freshwater fish aquaculture. To promote best practices, programmes for aquatic animal disease control were established and trainings on good antibiotic use in aquaculture carried out. Best practices in the culture of shrimp, catfish, tilapia and other species have also been improved through the use of programmes such as VietGAP and GlobalGAP.