Antibiotic-resistant pathogens kill more than 35,000 people in the United States each year. To continue efforts to combat this public health threat, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released the next National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (CARB), 2020-2025, which presents coordinated, strategic actions that the United States Government will take in the next five years to improve the health and wellbeing of all Americans by changing the course of antibiotic resistance. This Plan is based on the U.S. Government’s 2014 National Strategy for CARB, and builds on the first National Action Plan released in 2015 by expanding evidence-based activities that have already been shown to reduce antibiotic resistance, such as optimizing the use of antibiotics in human and animal health settings.

The Plan continues to prioritize infection prevention and control to slow the spread of resistant infections and reduce the need for antibiotic use. To ensure that patients receive the right antibiotic care, the Plan supports innovative approaches to developing and deploying diagnostic tests and treatment strategies. A One Health approach, which recognizes the relationships between the health of humans, animals, plants, and the environment, is integrated throughout the Plan, with an expanded effort to understand antibiotic resistance in the environment. The Plan also focuses on collecting and using data to better understand where resistance is occurring, support the development of new diagnostics and treatment options, and advance international coordination.

The U.S. Government will report annually on progress toward the objectives set in the Plan. View the plan to learn more, and check out this fact sheet to learn what the CDC is doing to help reach the goals outlined in the Plan.