§ 247d-5. Combating antimicrobial resistance

(a) Task force

(1) In general

The Secretary shall establish an Antimicrobial Resistance Task Force to provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary and coordinate Federal programs relating to antimicrobial resistance. The Secretary may appoint or select a committee, or other organization in existence as of November 13, 2000, to serve as such a task force, if such committee, or other organization meets the requirements of this section.

(2) Members of task force

The task force described in paragraph (1) shall be composed of representatives from such Federal agencies, and shall seek input from public health constituencies, manufacturers, veterinary and medical professional societies and others, as determined to be necessary by the Secretary, to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to address the public health threat of antimicrobial resistance.

(3) Agenda

(A) In general

The task force described in paragraph (1) shall consider factors the Secretary considers appropriate, including—

(i) public health factors contributing to increasing antimicrobial resistance;

(ii) public health needs to detect and monitor antimicrobial resistance;

(iii) detection, prevention, and control strategies for resistant pathogens;

(iv) the need for improved information and data collection;

(v) the assessment of the risk imposed by pathogens presenting a threat to the public health; and

(vi) any other issues which the Secretary determines are relevant to antimicrobial resistance.

(B) Detection and control

The Secretary, in consultation with the task force described in paragraph (1) and State and local public health officials, shall—

(i) develop, improve, coordinate or enhance participation in a surveillance plan to detect and monitor emerging antimicrobial resistance; and

(ii) develop, improve, coordinate or enhance participation in an integrated information system to assimilate, analyze, and exchange antimicrobial resistance data between public health departments.

(4) Meetings

The task force described under paragraph (1) shall convene not less than twice a year, or more frequently as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.

(b) Research and development of new antimicrobial drugs and diagnostics

The Secretary and the Director of Agricultural Research Services, consistent with the recommendations of the task force established under subsection (a) of this section, shall directly or through awards of grants or cooperative agreements to public or private entities provide for the conduct of research, investigations, experiments, demonstrations, and studies in the health sciences that are related to—

(1) the development of new therapeutics, including vaccines and antimicrobials, against resistant pathogens;

(2) the development or testing of medical diagnostics to detect pathogens resistant to antimicrobials;

(3) the epidemiology, mechanisms, and pathogenesis of antimicrobial resistance;

(4) the sequencing of the genomes, or other DNA analysis, or other comparative analysis, of priority pathogens (as determined by the Director of the National Institutes of Health in consultation with the task force established under subsection (a) of this section), in collaboration and coordination with the activities of the Department of Defense and the Joint Genome Institute of the Department of Energy; and

(5) other relevant research areas.

The Secretary, after consultation with the Assistant Secretary for Health, the Surgeon General, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, members of the task force described in subsection (a) of this section, professional organizations and societies, and such other public health officials as may be necessary, shall—

(1) develop and implement educational programs to increase the awareness of the general public with respect to the public health threat of antimicrobial resistance and the appropriate use of antibiotics;

(2) develop and implement educational programs to instruct health care professionals in the prudent use of antibiotics; and

(3) develop and implement programs to train laboratory personnel in the recognition or identification of resistance in pathogens.

(d) Grants

(1) In general

The Secretary shall award competitive grants to eligible entities to enable such entities to increase the capacity to detect, monitor, and combat antimicrobial resistance.

(2) Eligible entities

Eligible entities for grants under paragraph (1) shall be State or local public health agencies, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, or other public or private nonprofit entities.

(3) Use of funds

An eligible entity receiving a grant under paragraph (1) shall use funds from such grant for activities that are consistent with the factors identified by the task force under subsection (a)(3) of this section, which may include activities that—

(A) provide training to enable such entity to identify patterns of resistance rapidly and accurately;

(B) develop, improve, coordinate or enhance participation in information systems by which data on resistant infections can be shared rapidly among relevant national, State, and local health agencies and health care providers; and

(e) Grants for demonstration programs

(1) In general

The Secretary shall award competitive grants to eligible entities to establish demonstration programs to promote judicious use of antimicrobial drugs or control the spread of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.

(2) Eligible entities

Eligible entities for grants under paragraph (1) may include hospitals, clinics, institutions of long-term care, professional medical societies, schools or programs that train medical laboratory personnel, or other public or private nonprofit entities.

(3) Technical assistance

The Secretary shall provide appropriate technical assistance to eligible entities that receive grants under paragraph (1).

(f) Supplement not supplant

Funds appropriated under this section shall be used to supplement and not supplant other Federal, State, and local public funds provided for activities under this section.

(g) Authorization of appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, $25,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2002 and 2003, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2004 through 2006.

U.S. Code

§ 247d-5. Combating antimicrobial resistance