News
As previous years, ReAct will focus on regional activities for World Antibiotic Awareness Week in 2018. ReAct Africa, ReAct Asia Pacific and ReAct Latin America arrange a series of activities to raise awareness among general public, media, students, policy makers and health care personnel.
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.
News
A new study in The Lancet Infectious Diseases reports an increase in the burden of antibiotic resistant infections in the EU/EEA. Now 33000 people die annually from antibiotic resistant bacterial infections, an increase from 10 years ago. In Europe, the burden is actually comparable to that from HIV, TB and influenza combined.
ReAct Interview
Anger and fascination for the “know-do gap” led Stefan Swartling Peterson, Chief of Health, @UNICEF, into global health. He sees strong health systems as key to prevent infections and spread of #AntibioticResistance. Read new interview!
News
In connection to World Antibiotic Awareness Week and World Food Day , ReAct Latin America and San Isidro Institute launched the book “Food as medicine, the kitchen as a pharmacy”.
Opinion
During the World Investment Forum 2018, UNCTAD and WHO jointly organized an event on ‘Fostering investments in the development of new antibacterial treatments.
The event focused on promoting partnerships between funders and developers, where efforts and attention should be focused in the R&D process and how actors such as UNCTAD can bring relevant actors together to devise solutions to the current challenges in antibiotic discovery, research and development.
News
ReAct Europe is looking for an expert in antibiotic resistance to quality assure our work and ensure that everything that is produced is scientifically correct.
Science
For years, ReAct has talked about the discovery void: the fact that no truly new antibiotics have been discovered and reached the market since the 1980’s. Unfortunately, this still holds true for non-TB antibiotics, although there may be some hope to be found in the most recent pipeline analyses.
In focus
As we celebrate the 90th anniversary of the discovery of penicillin, it is appropriate to take a look at the current state of modern medicine since the discovery penicillin and the other antibiotics that followed. Here are seven ways that penicillin changed modern medicine.
Science
One Health is often used as a buzzword – a word that evokes reactions and feels intuitively positive. Unfortunately, it is often poorly defined and understood. One attempt to define it is as a connectivity. The health of humans is connected to the health of animals and plants and vice versa. We all share this space, whether we call it a biome, ecosystem or Mother Earth.
ReAct Interview
In May of 2018, the WHO released the first-ever list of essential diagnostics to improve diagnosis and treatment outcomes to the delight of many champions of antimicrobial resistance across the globe. In Africa, the release of this list was particularly exciting to one doctor in Nairobi, Kenya, who has long been an advocate for the development of such a list.
Science
The prospect of increasing spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria in hospitals and other health care facilities has made taking measures to prevent spread of infection even more important. The ethical implications of such measures are however all too often not taken into consideration.
News
In 2016-2017, ReAct supported a research project in Vietnam on preserving efficacy of last-line antibiotics. Results indicate very high rates of resistance to most antibiotics, including carbapenems.
Opinion
The situation for many children in sub-Saharan Africa is dire: a variety of infectious diseases, malnutrition and inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure all take their toll in these most vulnerable. According to UNICEF, the estimated mortality rate in children under 5 years in sub-Saharan Africa in 2016 was 78.4 deaths per 1000 live births. We all share a responsibility to reduce these mortality rates, but how?
Science
According to a recent publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, global antibiotic consumption in humans has increased dramatically from 2000 to 2015. The study rings a bell on the complex challenges posed by underuse, misuse and overuse of antibiotics.
Opinion
As global attention and political will to address the rising tide of antibiotic resistance has increased over the last years, and a wider range of actors starting to become involved in the field, the urgency of developing global governance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is growing.
ReAct Story
“Caring about antibiotic resistance is similar to reducing plastic waste or saving water”, says Dr. Windhi Kresnawati. She is a pediatrician and has worked in a remote area in Papua Island in Indonesia for the past 4 years. During this time she managed to engage various stakeholders to support and participate in a series of activities to raise their awareness on antibiotic resistance.
News
As we recently commemorated the World Health Day, it is interesting to remind us all of the rise and approaching fall of one of the most powerful discoveries in medical history – antibiotics. What makes them so special, and why is bacterial resistance such a major threat to human health?
News
Fixed dose combinations are pharmaceutical products such as tablets, ointments or suspensions where two or more antibiotics are combined in one product. In the treatment of Tuberculosis and HIV, they are vital for treatment success as they improve compliance and reduce development of resistance.
In theory, it sounds like a good idea to copy this success to other bacteria and antibiotic resistance, but in practice it is generally not so.
Opinion
Bacterial resistance to antibiotics gives rise to new ethical problems. Much of medical ethics prior to antibiotics has been focused on whether a certain procedure is justified, for example with respect to safety, efficacy and costs. But as antibiotic resistance has a global impact that persists over time, new questions arise that cannot be solved only by more or better science. In contrast with science, which is descriptive, ethics is normative. Ethics deals with what we ought to do or ought not to do.
News
It is a well-known fact that antibiotic resistant infections have a major influence on the health of people globally. Antibiotic resistance increases both mortality and morbidity due to treatment failures and lack of effective therapy. But antibiotic resistance has even more far-reaching consequences on different levels that often tend to be overlooked.
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.