Antimicrobial resistance, also known as AMR, is one of the greatest threats to public health today and tomorrow. Furthermore, evidence shows that there is transmission of resistant bacteria among humans, animals, and the environment, highlighting the need for an intersectoral and multidisciplinary approach.
The Belgian Federal Public Service for Public Health has developed a ambitious National Action Plan against Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR) for the years 2020-2024, following the "One World One Health" approach. This Belgian national action plan is based on three pillars: human health, animal health, and environmental health, and it proposes concrete actions to combat AMR in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.
Since its establishment in 1999, the Belgian Antibiotic Policy Coordination Commission (BAPCOC) has been working to combat antimicrobial resistance. To achieve this goal, BAPCOC is supported by various working groups. Within the NAP-AMR, BAPCOC is responsible for coordinating actions related to the human health pillar.
For NAP-AMR actions related to reducing antibiotic use in the livestock sector, please refer to AMCRA.
The General Directorate for the Environment of the Federal Public Service for Public Health coordinates the environmental actions of the action plan.
You can find more information about NAP-AMR here
NAP-AMR: The Belgian national action plan "One Health" for combating antimicrobial resistance.
⇒ For any information on this NAP-AMR, please refer to this page.
HOST: Hospital Outbreak Support Teams
⇒ For any information on this pilot project, please refer to the HOST page
Ambulatory Practice : Guidelines and e-learnings
⇒ Material for ambulatory practice
Awareness campaign
⇒More information here
Infection Prevention and Control (IPC)
⇒ Website for IPC
Hand hygiene: the 10th campaign is launched with the slogan: "Use gloves rationally, it's essential." Discover all the materials and useful information on our website.
⇒ Campaign 2023-2024 (FR/NL)
Discover the numerous initiatives implemented by BAPCOC in the digital magazine BeCare.
⇒ BeCare (FR/NL)
Consult the NOSO info bulletin on the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections
⇒NOSO info (FR/NL)
In the late 1990s, Belgium ranked among the top 3 European countries with the highest antibiotic consumption. This overconsumption poses a threat to public health. In response, Belgium took action in 1999 by establishing the Belgian Antibiotic Policy Coordination Commission (BAPCOC). BAPCOC is a federally-based, scientifically-driven body that promotes rational antibiotic consumption in Belgium and works to combat the rise of antibiotic resistance.
The various working groups of BAPCOC fulfill the following missions:
The multidisciplinary committee is composed of scientists, general practitioners, microbiologists, hospital hygienists, infectious disease specialists, pharmacists, and decision-makers from public administrations. The committee may enlist the support of Sciensano for scientific assistance.
The Support Team consists of employees from the Federal Public Service for Public Health and is responsible for operational support and coordination.
BAPCOC Support team
Responsabilité
Contact
Ivo Deckers
Coordinator
ivo.deckers@health.fgov.be
An Caluwaerts
an.caluwaerts@health.fgov.be
Ann Versporten
Hospital Medicine (AMS)
ann.versporten@health.fgov.be
Heidi Van Den Bossche
heidi.vandenbossche@health.fgov.be
Pascaline de Bie
Diagnostic stewardship
Hand Hygiene
pascaline.debie@health.fgov.be
Florine Croquet
Ambulatory Practice (AMS)
florine.croquet@health.fgov.be
Harun Yaras
HOST
harun.yaras@health.fgov.be
The Commission is composed of different working groups, among which:
The ambulatory practice working group serves as a central point for sharing expertise on the responsible use of antimicrobials in the ambulatory sector in Belgium. It supports the implementation of the NAP AMR, proposes concrete actions to combat AMR in a coordinated manner, and advises relevant authorities at the federal, regional, and local levels, always ensuring effective use of resources.
The specific objectives of the Ambulatory Practice working group are:
Mission statement and internal rules (FR /NL) and composition
Material for ambulatory practice.
The Hospital Medicine working group supports the implementation of the NAP-AMR 2020-2024. Specifically, it aims to provide expert advice and support to promote the judicious use of anti-infective agents in hospitals. The specific objectives of the Hospital Medicine working group are:
The federal platform serves as a central point for sharing expertise in infection prevention and control (IPC)to facilitate national approaches to healthcare policy and planning in IPC. It aims to strengthen collaboration with all IPC stakeholders and establish connections with other national programs with the goal of preventing and controlling healthcare-associated infections.
Mission statement and internal rules (FR and NL) and composition
Contact regional platforms.
Website for IPC
For 20 years, this working group has been responsible for national awareness campaigns on hand hygiene in hospitals. Hand hygiene plays a crucial role in preventing nosocomial diseases. You can find the materials for healthcare workers available on the hand hygiene page and are also invited to follow their efforts to raise patients awareness on the website "You are in good hands"
Hyperlinks to related themes on the FPS’s webpages
www.usagecorrectantibiotiques.be
http://www.vousetesendebonnesmains.be
Hyperlinks to related themes, outside the FPS’s portal site:
Become an Antibiotic Guardian and choose your pledge now!
Read the opinion of Prof. Goossens, President of BAPCOC: "Shout about the European Union’s success".
http://www.nosoinfo.be/nosoinfos/
The editions dating back to 2006 or earlier are still available on the UCL's website. The numbers from 2007 up to 2014 can be downloaded.
Since 2014, NOSO Info is only available electronically. Four editions are still published every year.
Literature
Coenen S, Costers M, De Corte S, De Sutter A, Goossens H. The first European Antibiotic Awareness Day after a decade of improving outpatient antibiotic use in Belgium. Acta Clin Belg 2008; 63: 296-300.
Coenen S, Costers M, De Corte S, De Sutter A, Goossens H. Feed Back sur les « campagnes antibiotiques » belges. La Revue de la Médecine Générale 2008;(257):286-9.
Goossens H, Coenen S, Costers M, De Corte S, De Sutter A, Gordts B, Laurier L, Struelens M. The Belgian Antibiotic Policy Coordination Committee (BAPCOC). Eurosurveillance 2008; 13 (46): 10-13.
De Sutter A, Coenen S. La journée européenne sur le thème des antibiotiques du 18 novembre 2008. Folia Pharmacotherapeutica 2008; 35: 96.
Information for health care providers
2016
GRACE INTRO
In 2016-2017 BAPCOC actively prepared an online training module that will be accessible for all general practitioners in Belgium. The module BAPCOC GRACE INTRO already showed that we can significantly and safely reduce antibiotics prescriptions by general practitioners in Belgium, Britain, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Wales on the short and on the long run. The module has furthermore been appreciated by physicians and patients. It includes a general introduction on coughing, antibiotics, resistance etc, but above all a communication training for general practitioners featuring concrete examples (on video) about how they can successfully conduct a consultation with a patient suffering from a (non-severe) bronchi infection and how they can interactively use a personalized brochure containing relevant information for patients. More info will be available soon.
PPS
Global Point Prevalence Survey Antimicrobial Consumption and Resistance
In 2015 BAPCOC coordinated this global project in collaboration with the Antwerp University (UA, software type application): www.global-pps.com. The first results were presented on the occasion of the European Antibiotic Awareness Day on November 18th, 2015
On the European level, ECDC organizes a point prevalence survey (PPS) every 5 years on hospital related infections and use of antibiotics in acute hospitals. The last survey was in 2011. The Scientific Public Health Institute (ISP) organized this PPS for Belgium. Report including the results for Belgium (year 2011). This survey will be repeated in 2016-2017. More information will soon be available on the ISP website (www.wiv-isp.be).
Report including the results for Belgium (year 2011). Documents on the PPS 2015. FAQ’s and IT manual are available on the website www.global-PPS.com
Chairman:
Herman Goossens
Secretary :
Support team
Members :
See the members'list
Generic email account :
bapcoc@health.belgium.be
Antibiotherapy management groups (GGA)
Campaign 2000-2004
Campaign 2008-2014
Campaign since 2014
Bob et Bobette: Tante biotica
information sur e-bug
website e-bug
Campaign 2014-2015
Campaign 2012-2013
Campaign 2010-2011
Campaign 2008-2009
Campaign 2006-2007
Campaign 2004-2005
Publication of the final report featuring the results of the Campaing "You are in good hands" 2008-2009 .
For the sensitizing actions’ posters, please consult the page « Brochures ».
Coordinated by BAPCOC, a working group consisting of infectiologists, general practitioners and epidemiologists has developed a scientific literature based recommendation on the prevention, the diagnosis and the treatment of Lyme borreliosis. This recommandation was validated by the Belgian Infectiology and Clinical Microbiology Society (SBIMC), Domus Medica, the Royal Belgian Society for Rheumatology (SRBR), the Flemisch Neurology association (VVN, Vlaamse Vereniging voor Neurologie) and the Public Health institute.
BAPCOC published its first newsletter edition.
Following the recent increase of Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE), the Federal Public Health Service has taken a certain number of measures.
Guide belge des traitements anti-infectieux en pratique ambulatoire - édition 2012
Intercalaire antibiotiques pour médecins généraliste - édition 2012
'antibiotics charts' for pharmacists
Besides the name of the antibiotic medicine, more and more physicians mention the duration of the antibiotherapy on their prescription sheets. Indeed, the new recommendations for taking antibiotics advise a certain number of days for antibiotherapy. However the duration of the treatment does not always correspond to the number of tablets available in the package, and leftovers are accumulated in the patient’s home. Stocking antibiotics leftovers in domestic medicine chests has to be avoided as it incites to self-medication. Moreover the boxes of antibiotics that were started no longer contain sufficient tablets for an efficient therapy. These leftovers of antibiotics are not only useless, they also constitute a risk of developing resistance.
Since 2011 all Belgian pharmacists are asked to apply a sticker to all boxes of antibiotics they sell during the national ‘antibiotics’ campaign. This action also allows to open a dialogue with the patient about the proper use of antibiotics.
Treatment of acute gastroenteritis in ambulatory practice
Treatment of acute COBP-exacerbations in ambulatory practice
Treatment of acute exacerbations - detailed chart for physicians
Recommendations of the High Health Coucil on hand hygiene
The WHO guidelines on Hand hygiene
Belgian guide of anti-infectious treatments in ambulatory practice - 2008 edition
Guidelines acute Cystitis in women
Guidelines acute throatache
Guidelines acute Otitis
Guidelines acute Rhinosinusitis
Guidelines acute infections of the lower bronchi in adult patients
Belgian guide of infectious treatments in ambulatory practice - 2006 edition
Guidelines acute Pyelonephritis frite in adult patients 2003
Guidelines bacterial meningitis 2005
Strategic Antibiotics Plan 2003
Reports Technical Cell 2005
Circulaire: Normes d´agrément en matière d´hygiène hospitalière
Circulaire: Normes afférentes au groupe de gestion de l´antibiothérapie
On Wednesday Nov. 18th 2015, on the occasion of the European Antibiotic Awareness Day, BAPCOC organized a meeting day ONE HEALTH STRATEGY. This meeting allowed each of the working groups to present their activities and results.
Programme and presentation
Final ECDC report , including the results for Belgium (year 2011).
