Epidemiology training enhances skills to analyze antimicrobial resistance

Vietnam faces significant challenges in antimicrobial resistance, intensified by the inappropriate use of antibiotics in healthcare and agriculture.

The misuse of antibiotics in poultry farming has led to the emergence of resistant bacteria, posing serious threats to animals, humans and environmental health.

Recognizing these challenges, the CGIAR Initiative on One Health has prioritized antimicrobial resistance research under one of its five work packages.

In Vietnam, this research aims to capture key features of the production system and understand the drivers of antibiotic use among semi-intensive poultry farmers.

This is being achieved through collaboration of the National Institute of Veterinary Research of Vietnam (NIVR) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) who carried out a survey on antibiotic use practices in semi-intensive poultry farms in Thai Nguyen province, Vietnam (October 2023 to April 2024) and across farms in three provinces in Laos (February to April 2024).

As part of capacity building for involved partners, ILRI Vietnam hosted a four-day workshop (25–27 June 2024) to train data analysts from NIVR and the National University of Laos on processing and statistical analysis of the collected data.

During the workshop, participants learned various principles of data processing and cleaning, as well as basic to advanced statistical analysis using Microsoft Excel and R statistical software.

The training sessions also emphasized the importance of data exploration, including visualization techniques, and the need to contextualize and communicate research findings.

Photo: A live chicken vendor weighs a chicken in Hung Yen province, Vietnam (ILRI/Nguyen Ngoc Huyen)