September 2022: Musa Sekamette, Michael Kimaanga, and Christopher Amandu travelled to Portugal in September for the International Congress on Antimicrobial Resistance. As part of the Fleming Fund fellowship activities three of the current fellows from Uganda attended the 5th International Caparica Congress on Antimicrobial Resistance in Costa de Caparica just outside Lisbon. The event gave all the fellows a very important opportunity to hear directly from AMR researchers and practitioners from across the world, to build direct connections with professional partners, and to learn about approaches and policies that could feed into delivery of the Ugandan National Action Plan. Image L to R: Prof. José Luis Capelo Martínez - conference chair, Christopher Amandu - Uganda Cohort 2 fellow, Musa Sekamatte and Michael Kimaanga - Uganda Policy fellows Attending the conference in Portugal was the best opportunity I ever had to understand what other scientists around the world are doing in the fight against antibiotic resistance. I also learned a lot about the different presentation methods, such as oral presentations, short talks, and posters. This will definitely help me to give better presentations about antibiotic resistance at my workplace to external stakeholders. Networking with other participants has also increased the possibility of collaboration with other research groups working on antibiotic resistance, which will help highlight the importance of antibiotic resistance at the local level and possibly raise awareness at the national level as well. Christopher Harold AmanduAMR Laboratory Human Health Fellow, Head of Microbiology Laboratory at Arua Regional Referral Hospital, Uganda "The War on Bacteria" The theme of this year's conference was "The War on Bacteria", and covered development in progress across a wide range of topics - from basic and emerging mechanisms of AMR, and new technical approaches for the study of AMR, to zoonotic spread of resistance and implementation of effective surveillance of both AMR and antibiotic use. Particularly relevant for the policy fellows were opportunities to discuss development of policies to promote drug development and discovery, and how alternative strategies may be harnessed to address the problem of global antimicrobial resistance. Sessions on the use of proteomics to study AMR, clinical control of resistant infections and rapid laboratory diagnostics provided insights and opportunities for professional development. The fellows also gained a deeper understanding of the One Health approach to combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the interdependence of humans, animals, and the environment. Although not all of the approaches presented at the conference were appropriate for current deployment in Uganda, the fellows will take forward the inspiration and insights gained to inform future activities and policies. Attending the conference in Portugal was important part of my Fleming Fund fellowship - it gave me opportunities to build new professional networks that will be invaluable as I develop my career as a decision maker in the field of AMR. Musa SekamattePolicy Human Health Fleming Fund Fellow and Senior Epidemiologist at the Ministry of Health, Uganda Related Links Fleming Fund Fellowship Scheme Fleming Fund fellows at the University of Edinburgh 5th International Caparica Congress on Antimicrobial Resistance website This article was published on 2024-06-20
