In focus
The IACG on AMR released the draft recommendations for public discussion from 29 January to 19 February. This marks the final round of stakeholder input collection before the recommendations are finalized for submission to the UN Secretary General by April 2019. The process towards the UN General Assembly will greatly determine the strategic directions of global response to antimicrobial resistance.
ReAct has developed our main opinions on the draft recommendations.
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.
Science
Knowledge is critical for good policy and practical work. In the Global Action Plan on AMR adopted by WHO in 2015, strategic objective 2 is to “Strengthen the knowledge and evidence base through surveillance and research”. But how can this be done in countries that lack funds and technical capacity?
News
ReAct is currently looking to recruit new Global Health Expert to join our team in Uppsala, Sweden, to further strengthen our global network and science-team. Applications are accepted until 24th of February.
News
In the African region surveillance and laboratory data is sparse and there is concern that the National Action Plans on AMR are not founded on a strong evidence-base detailing the specifics of the problem nor on interventions proven to be effective in African contexts. This is why ReAct Africa hosted a research priority setting workshop end 2018.
News
How should needed work on antimicrobial resistance be funded? New meeting report from workshop with experts on antimicrobial resistance and global health. The report includes strong evidence from a number of low- and -middle income countries about the extreme difficulty in identifying funds for priority activities and human resources. There is currently no ‘go-to-place’ for funding the implementation of National Action Plans on AMR and this is a serious concern.The report is prepared by ReAct and the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation. Read full report: A planetary threat but a financing orphan.
ReAct Interview
Peter Yeboah, Chairman and Executive Director, is an optimist. He thinks recent experiences with epidemic outbreaks in Africa demonstrate that global health security lies in strengthening sub-Saharan African health systems.
Science
Appropriate, rational or prudent use of antibiotics are widely used terms when discussing the causes of and remedies for antibiotic resistance. Much like the term One Health, appropriateness of antibiotic use is intuitively appealing – its meaning seems obvious and most people would say that one should not use antibiotics inappropriately. But still we see a lot of misuse of antibiotics all over the world, so either there are many people who simply do not care about appropriate use of antibiotics, or perhaps the meaning is not so obvious as it first seems.
News
A steady rise in per capita income, growing urban population and falling retail prices of chicken meat have made poultry production one of the fastest growing segments of the agricultural sector in India today. As a result, India is now the world’s fifth largest egg producer and the eighteenth largest producer of broilers. All this rapid expansion has however come at a high cost. The indiscriminate use of antibiotics, for growth promotion in particular in other words to ‘fatten chicken’, is fueling antibiotic resistance in the country.
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 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?
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.