Presidential Budget Proposal Includes Investment to Curb Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

President Obama’s 2016 budget includes nearly doubling the amount of federal funding for efforts aimed at combating and preventing antibiotic resistance. The funding will “improve antibiotic stewardship; strengthen antibiotic resistance risk assessment, surveillance, and reporting capabilities; and drive research innovation in the human health and agricultural sectors,” according to a White House press release. In addition to budget provisions, the Obama Administration also issued its National Strategy on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (PDF) in September 2014, outlining steps the government will take to improve prevention, detection, and control of resistant pathogens. Each year, at least two million illnesses and 23,000 deaths are caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the United States alone, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).