In focus
In 2015 recognizing the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance the World Health Organization endorsed a Global Action Plan on AMR.
The five objectives that the Global Action Plan aimed for were:
How far along are we?
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
21 June ReAct and South Centre hosted the webinar: The silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance: New opportunities for global action?
Will the new international instrument offer opportunities for a stronger response to antimicrobial resistance?
What are we learning from national experiences from developing countries?
Link to recorded webinar will be added.
In focus
In general, administering stitches to close tears on mothers who have newly delivered a child are a safe and common procedure. However, the handling of post-delivery sutures by health workers without sufficient understanding about the use of antibiotics and the risk of infection can be a different story. What are supposed to be happy moments for parents with their new born baby, after going through the delivery process, might sadly end in grief.
This was experienced by Dr Hari Paraton, an obstetrician and gynecologist from Surabaya, Indonesia, who handled a patient, (we will call her “Paramita”) with abnormal post-delivery stitches. Instead of drying out, the wound on the stitches just got worse and wider.
News
With the aim of reducing the use of antimicrobials in intensive animal husbandry and its impacts on human and ecosystem health, the participants of the Latin American Webinar “Intensive Animal Husbandry, Animal Welfare and Antibiotic Use” signed a Call.
The Call is urging governments and members of the teams and commissions responsible for the National Action Plans on AMR, the design and implementation of policies, to limit the use of antibiotics in agri-food systems.
Guest writer
Escherichia coli. Klebsiella pneumoniae. Staphylococcus aureus. Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Or we could put it this way: bacteria that cause everything from urinary tract infections to life-threatening wound infections. Staphylococci that can lead to life-threatening sepsis. And pneumococcus, which is the most common cause of pneumonia.
We learn from Médecins Sans Frontières experiences across the globe and we listen to experts Jacob Goldberg, Médecins Sans Frontières and ReAct’s founder Otto Cars.
The situation is acute – but not hopeless.
Text: Åsa Nyquist Brandt, Médecins Sans Frontières
Theme
The rapid spread of antibiotic resistance around the world has evoked calls at the highest levels of the United Nations and its member governments to urgently adopt measures to tackle the growing problem. While these and other global and national policy initiatives are highly welcome and much needed, the world cannot afford to solely wait for them to be translated into action and change on the ground.
The top-down approach needs to be complemented with action and mobilization on grass-root level since the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance is tightly linked to the practices and behaviors of individuals.
Policy
Causing 1.27 million deaths per year, antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest and most urgent cross-border public health threats of our time. However, the global community was late to the table to pick up on the systems failure of antibiotic resistance. Initiatives and collaborations have been initiated since 2015, but stronger globally coordinated governance is needed to drive systemwide response. There is still a long way to go. In this article, you get an overview of the global governance considerations for antibiotic resistance.
Research and development
Effective antibiotics are a cornerstone of basic and specialized medicine. The emergence of resistance in bacteria to antibiotics is slowly dismantling our ability to treat infections, alleviate human suffering, and save lives. The COVID-19 pandemic is a clear reminder of the deadly consequences the world faces, when we do not have the right treatments or vaccines available when needed.
Theme
ReAct articles relating to COVID-19 and antibiotic 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.
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.
ReAct is a global network of antibiotic resistance experts with nodes in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America.
Involved in developing and implementing your country's National Action Plan on AMR? Here you find support tools and inspiration.
Engagement from civil society organizations and communities is needed to tackle antibiotic resistance. Learn more about how to get involved.
Globally coordinated governance on antimicrobial resistance - to ensures a sustainable response that takes into account the conditions for LMICs
A public health driven and end-to-end approach to innovation that enables sustainable access to effective antibiotics in LMICs