The Deputy Government Spokesperson announced that the government is promoting the One Health system to monitor antimicrobial resistance comprehensively and advises the public to strictly follow doctors’ antibiotic prescriptions after resistance rates exceeded 70%.
On 9 May 2026 GMT+7, Ms. Ploytale Laksamee Sangchan, Deputy Spokesperson of the Prime Minister's Office, revealed that the government, through the Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health, in collaboration with a network of 141 hospitals across 77 provinces, has been continuously monitoring antimicrobial resistance in laboratories. Data from the national antimicrobial resistance surveillance system over the past 10 years, from 2015 to 2025, shows that Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii complex has a carbapenem resistance rate—carbapenem being a "last-resort antimicrobial"—exceeding 70%, with a continual upward trend. This means patients infected with this resistant strain face risks of having no effective treatment options.
Meanwhile, Klebsiella pneumoniae has shown a steady increase in carbapenem resistance over recent years and has a resistance rate of 35–45% to third-generation cephalosporins—an antibiotic group effective against many bacterial infections—which could limit treatment options for severe infectious diseases in the future.
Although E. coli’s carbapenem resistance remains relatively low compared to other bacteria, resistance to third-generation cephalosporins, especially ceftriaxone and cefotaxime, remains consistently high. This indicates that antimicrobial resistance problems are not confined to hospitals or healthcare settings but are now spreading into communities.
“For the public and patients, to stop antimicrobial resistance, antibiotics must be taken exactly as prescribed by doctors, even if symptoms improve. Self-medication, stopping treatment prematurely, or sharing antibiotics with others is strictly prohibited. The government requests cooperation from all sectors in rational antibiotic use, infection prevention and control, laboratory surveillance, and implementing the One Health approach linking human, animal, and environmental health. This approach aims to raise awareness and slow the rise of resistant infections in the future. The Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health, together with the nationwide laboratory network, has been tasked with continuous monitoring to support policy planning and Thailand’s public health response.”