New tools on HOTspots: Tracking and Tackling AMR 

February 21st, 2025

In the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR), HOTspots is continually enhancing its digital surveillance system to provide the best data for meaningful action to fight AMR. To strengthen this effort, it has introduced two new epidemiological features.  

With its interactive map, HOTspots tracks AMR across northern Australia, identifying resistance patterns to support targeted strategies. Now, two new features are deepening these insights, guiding more effective interventions. 

What’s New? 

We have added two key features to the HOTspots mapping system: 

  • Rate of resistance – Measures the frequency of resistant infections caused by a particular bacterium, within a population over time. 
  • Rate of infection – Measures the frequency of all infections causes by a particular bacterium, within a population over time. 

These new measures account for the entire population at risk, providing a broader perspective on resistance and infection dynamics. Theses additional insights will be useful for clinicians, policymakers, and researchers who work towards strengthening AMR stewardship and refining intervention strategies. 

Why this matters 

AMR is a global crisis, and in many remote regions of northern Australia, resistance levels are particularly high. By incorporating the rate of infection as well as rate of resistance,  HOTspots aims to provide the most comprehensive and accurate epidemiological data available.  

HOTspots data helps healthcare workers select the most effective treatments, shape national reports and treatment guidelines, and support global AMR research efforts. This vital work safeguards lives and helps preserve antibiotics for future generations. 

Check out the new features on the interactive map using the ‘Measure’ filter.