
In focus
2022 is coming to an end. And the silent pandemic of antibiotic resistance is growing right before our eyes. 1,27 million people die from antibiotic resistance every year. 7,7 million people die from bacterial infections every year. To add on to this, bacteria see no borders – we all are connected – humans-animals-environment – so the challenge rises far beyond human health.
ReAct’s five nodes see these 15 things as key in 2023 – for a robust global response on antibiotic resistance:
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.
More and more antibiotics are failing and resistance is spreading around the world. The situation is worst in low-income countries, a new report shows. The situation is acute – but not hopeless. Learn more from MSF work and professor Otto Cars, ReAct.
Health system approach
COVID-19 will not be the last pandemic – the next one is already here: antibiotic resistance. Antibiotics are critical components of all health systems.
In an article published in The Lancet Global Health, authors from the senior leadership of ReAct, argue that a health system approach nationally and globally is critical to mitigate the devastating consequences of antibiotic resistance.
Research and development
We are now well into a third decade of failure and standstill in developing new antibiotics. The traditional market-based financing model for research and development of new antibiotics continues to fail. There are five challenges governments need to address to resolve the stagnation in antibiotic development.
Community engagement
Can there be such a thing as an antibiotic smart community? If so, how could processes towards this be initiated and systematically approached? These questions, and an urging feeling that to be able to implement the National Action Plans on Antimicrobial Resistance there is a need for a bottom-up engagement approach. Communities need to engage for action on the global health challenge we all are facing – drug-resistant bacteria. With this mindset, ReAct Asia Pacific initiated the project Antibiotic Smart Communities.
News
For the first time, global comprehensive estimates of the burden of bacterial infections have been published. In 2019, 7.7 million deaths around the world were found to be linked to bacterial infections. That equals 1 in 8 of all global deaths. It also makes bacterial infections the second largest cause of death globally, after ischemic heart disease only. Bacterial infections have long been an underestimated cause of global health burden, calling for urgent strengthening of mitigation strategies. The study puts in spotlight the crucial importance of access to treatment with effective antibiotics for all health systems.
Interview
When Pernilla Rönnholm from Gothenburg, Sweden, gave birth to her twins Kirsty and Freya, only one of the girls survived. Kirsty died 8 days old from multi-drug resistant bacteria. Listen to the family’s story in an interview with the mother, Pernilla.
Theme
ReAct articles relating to COVID-19 and antibiotic resistance.
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 antibiotic resistance here.
Donate
Your gift means a great deal. With your donation you will help address antibiotic resistance.
ReAct is a global network of antibiotic resistance experts with nodes in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America.
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.
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