Reflections on a national public health emergency response to carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE)

Abstract

Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) are important globally. In 2017, Ireland declared a national public health emergency to address CPE in acute hospitals. A National Public Health Emergency Team and an expert advisory group (EAG) were established. The EAG has identified key learnings to inform future strategies. First, there is still an opportunity to prevent CPE becoming endemic. Second, damp environmental reservoirs in hospitals are inadequately controlled. Third, antibiotic stewardship remains important in control. Finally, there is no current requirement to extend screening to detect CPE outside of acute hospitals. These conclusions and their implications may also be relevant in other countries.

Answering Ireland’s call: pathology during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Key to the coordinated laboratory response was the establishment of the COVID-19 Laboratory Taskforce (CLT), established in April 2020 that included: experts in senior health service management, emergency management and procurement, medical and scientific input, expertise in data analytics, and modelling with daily reports. This group augmented the existing national communication structures in Ireland for pathology services including the National Clinical Programme for Pathology (N-CPP, established in 2011 to lead the delivery of pathology services in publicly funded Irish laboratories), the Clinical Programme in Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control (in existence for over a decade), the first NPHET (established in 2017 to address the spread of carbapenamase-producing Enterobacterales)1 and the Faculty of Pathology (established in 1981) at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.…”