Guest writer

The silence is killing us - time to listen to the facts

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

Policy

Allocation of adequate resources and community engagement key to NAP implementation

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:

• improving awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance,
• strengthening surveillance and research,
• reducing the incidence of infection,
• optimizing the use of antimicrobial medicines in human and animal health and
• ensuring sustainable investment in new medicines, diagnostic tools, vaccines, and other interventions.

How far along are we?

Policy

Policy briefing on WHO GAP AMR: 8 pillars of action to address global solutions to AMR

A recently published Antibiotic Resistance Coalition Policy briefing finds WHO Global Action Plan on AMR at crossroads and calls for attention to Comprehensive Review. This briefing is released at a pivotal moment for the World Health Organization to take stock of its progress on the Global Action Plan on AMR.

ReAct Interview

Access to clean water - a fairly inexpensive way to avoid infections

Andreas Berglöf has worked with advocacy for more than 20 years, from HIV, to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) – and since a year back for WaterAid Sweden. Right now he is at the World Water Forum in Dakar, Senegal. During the conference, WaterAid participates to urge leaders around the world to prioritize water, sanitation and hygiene issues, to strengthen health systems, climate adaptation and economic recovery after covid-19.⁠ Work that will have positive effects in addressing antibiotic resistance.

WaterAid Sweden are one of the actors engaging in antibiotic resistance. In this article Andreas speaks about water, sanitation and hygiene, actions needed at global and country level, the coming pandemic treaty and lessons learned from HIV work.

Theme

Mobilizing communities to act on antibiotic resistance

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

Systemwide response to antibiotic resistance requires effective and sustainable global governance

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

The world needs new antibiotics – so why aren’t they developed?

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

COVID-19 and antibiotic resistance

ReAct articles relating to COVID-19 and antibiotic resistance.

The ReAct Toolbox

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.

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 ReAct’s work on antibiotic resistance here.

We are global

ReAct is a global network of antibiotic resistance experts with nodes in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America.