In focus
ReAct Africa and South Centre will host this year’s annual ReAct Africa conference virtually as a result of COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings and travel. The conference will be held from 1-4 December under the theme, “What is the status of the Antimicrobial Resistance National Action Plans in the African Region?” Read more and register!
ReAct is an independent network dedicated to the problem of antibiotic resistance. ReAct is a global catalyst, advocating and stimulating for global engagement on antibiotic resistance through a broad range of collaborations.
Policy
oday, the One Health Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance was announced by the United Nations Tripartite organizations World Health Organization, UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and the International Organization on Animal Health. ReAct has written an open letter to the Group’s co-chairs their Excellencies, Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh and Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados.
Theme
Articles relating to COVID-19 and antibiotic resistance.
News
Neonatal sepsis, a condition caused by the body’s response to infections, affects four million newborns globally every year. It makes up 15% of all neonatal deaths and the majority occur in low-income countries. Alarmingly, and further complicating an already lethal condition, up to 40% of neonatal sepsis cases are due to resistant pathogens. Today, on World Children’s Day, ReAct releases a new report on newborns, sepsis and antibiotic resistance.
ReAct Interview
Dr. Honar Cherif has worked as a doctor for 29 years in Sweden at Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University Hospital.
He says: “A worrying development has been reported in many European countries for some years now. Infections caused by multi-resistant bacteria such as MRSA and ESBL do not respond to the broad-spectrum antibiotics we use to manage infections in these immunocompromised patients.”
Science
Shortages of antibiotics have become a global problem that also affect countries with robust healthcare and regulatory systems. The causes are several, sometimes difficult to oversee, and the solutions are not as easy to implement as they are to conceptualize. Shortages of medicines in general cause patients to lose access to important treatments and, as such, lead to increased costs, morbidity and even mortality. But shortages of antibiotics may also lead to increases in antibiotic resistance.
Theme
Here you find links to articles, reports and short videos – to learn more about the impact of Antimicrobial Resistance on Universal Health Coverage, the Sustainable Development Goals and the urgent need to find ways to finance efforts to manage antimicrobial resistance.
The ReAct Toolbox is a user-friendly web-based resource that provides inspiration and guidance to take action and develop national action plans on antibiotic resistance. It is built on what has been done in the past in a variety of settings, and is aligned with ongoing and current initiatives from across the globe.
ReAct is a global network of antibiotic resistance experts with nodes in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America.
In the last 70 years the use of antibiotics has been crucial in improving countless lives and drastically reducing deaths caused by bacterial infections. The increasing development of antibiotic resistance is posing a serious threat to human health and development, the environment and for animal health. Learn more about ReAct’s work on antibiotic resistance here.
Involved in developing your country's National Action Plan? Here you find support for developing a comprehensive plan.
Doctors, pharmacists, veterinarians and other health care professionals - you have the power to take action! Learn more about how to get started.
Engagement from civil society organizations and communities is needed to tackle antibiotic resistance. Learn more about how to get involved.