Norway
Norway operates a dual surveillance system: NORM for human AMR and NORM-Vet for veterinary and food AMR. The system is coordinated by the University Hospital of North Norway (NORM) and the Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NORM-Vet), with data published as a joint annual report.
Surveillance Programme
NORM-Vet - Norwegian Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Resistance
Key Entities
| Entity | Abbreviation | Type | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norwegian Institute of Public Health | NIPH/FHI | Government agency | Human AMR/AMU data, prescription database |
| University Hospital of North Norway | UNN | Hospital | NORM coordination, clinical microbiology data |
| Norwegian Veterinary Institute | NVI | Research institute | NORM-Vet coordination, animal AMR data |
| Norwegian Food Safety Authority | Mattilsynet | Government agency | Veterinary AMU data, VetReg |
Human AMR Surveillance
- NORM established in 1999 to coordinate data from clinical microbiology laboratories nationwide
- UNN coordinates NORM from the Department of Microbiology and Infection Control
- NIPH manages the notification system and provides AMR/AMU data
- Protocol-defined yearly surveys of systemic and non-systemic bacterial and fungal pathogens (25+ years)
- High-priority resistance phenotypes submitted to designated reference laboratories
- A new national microbiology database containing all routine microbiology results is being developed
- Regulated under the Norwegian Infectious Disease Control Act (Smittevernloven, 1994)
Recent development
Norway published the National One-Health Strategy against Antimicrobial Resistance (2024–2033), further developing AMR surveillance.
Animal and Food AMR Surveillance
- NORM-Vet coordinated by NFSA and implemented by NVI
- Covers food, feed, and wild animals (broader scope than many countries)
- Systematic MRSA screening of pig populations - Norway has successfully eliminated livestock-associated MRSA from this reservoir
- Sales data from wholesalers and prescription data from the Veterinary Prescription Register
AMU Monitoring
- Human: Norwegian Prescription Database managed by NIPH (all antimicrobials dispensed to outpatients). Hospital data from the Sykehusapotekenes Legemiddelstatistikk (hospital pharmacy drug statistics). National drug wholesale database covering all sales
- Animal: VetReg (Veterinary Prescription Register) managed by NFSA. Mandatory reporting for all food-producing animals and horses; voluntary for companion animals
- Standardised using ATC classification and DDDs (WHO Collaborating Center at NIPH)