Antimicrobial resistance is not a silent pandemic
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Shobha Shukla– CNS
Contd from previous issue
“In low and middle-income countries, lack of access to medicines is causing more deaths than AMR itself.”
AMR can affect anyone. None are immune from it. It can happen to anyone, anywhere. Even a minor injury, routine surgery, or a common lung infection could unexpectedly escalate into a life-threatening situation.
‘AMR is invisible, but I am not’- So goes the slogan by WHO Task Force of AMR Survivors - who have survived drug-resistant infections or cared for those with such infections.
Felix Liauw, a pediatrician from Indonesia and a member of WHO Task Force of AMR Survivors, shared the traumatic story of his 3 month old son who passed away due to delay in diagnosis and extensive misuse of medicines. Right after his birth, Liauw’s son suffered from chronic diarrhoea and fever. He was initially diagnosed with sepsis. His sepsis treatment changed from first-line to second-line and eventually to third-line antibiotics (mero-penem) but with no improvement in his condition. Then a genetic test was done and it took 6 weeks to get the results that he had congenital short bowel syndrome- a rare genetic condition. It took a very long time to make this correct diagnosis, and by then it was too late. He also had hospital acquired infections. While there is no cure for this disease, the disorder usually can be treated effectively. So timely and correct diagnosis is key.
"As a pediatrician and caregiver, I would like to share that we should give antibiotics or other antimi-crobials only when we have a confirmed diagnosis. We should be aware of hospital-acquired infections and do all what we can to stop the transmission of infections”, advises Liauw.
Animal Health and AMR
Yu Qiu, Animal Health Officer, at Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) rightly points out that AMR is a One Health issue because it represents the growing challenge to the agriculture and food sector with serious consequences for human health, animal health, food safety and global food security. Drugs used to treat infections in livestock and companion animals are becoming less effective.
More and more animals are not getting timely diagnosis and treatment against the infectious diseases, resulting in increased mortality and reduced productivity. The World Bank projects that livestock production in low- and middle-income countries could decline by 11% by 2050. This could pose a significant challenge to food safety and livelihood of farmers whose income also relies on food producing animals for their household, said Yu Qiu.
Agrees Ana Luisa Pereira Mateus, Scientific Coordinator at the Antimicrobial Resistance and Veterinary Products Department, World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH): "Untimely mortality and morbidity in animals due to emergence of AMR is having an adverse impact on livelihoods of those who depend on food producing animals, because of decreasing productivity. AMR also impacts local economies. Up to one in five people in the world depend on food producing animals to secure their livelihoods. The cumulative global gross domestic product (GDP) loss due to AMR in livestock is predicted to be US$ 575 billion by 2050."
Environment and AMR
According to Wondwosen Asnake Kibret, Policy and Partnerships Coordinator, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the environment plays a key role in the development, transmission and spread of AMR. Increased use and misuse of antimicrobials and other microbial stressors, such as pollution, create favourable conditions for microorganisms to develop resistance from sources such as sewage. The environmental dimensions of AMR include pollution from hospital and community wastewater, effluents from pharmaceutical production, and waste originating from agriculture and livestock. These may contain not only resistant microorganisms, but also antimicrobials, microplas-tics, metals and other chemicals, all of which increase the risk of AMR in the environment, he added.
A future sans the threat of AMR
All of us, including the youth of today, want a future which is free from the threats of AMR.
“AMR warrants a whole of society approach to address it. The role of youth, who represent a significant part of our population, is crucial as key stakeholders in achieving joint action against AMR. Empowering the next generation through effective communication is not just a necessity but a powerful tool to inspire learning, advocacy, and action,” said Augusto Baron, member of Quadripartite Working Group for Youth Engagement on AMR.
And as Wondwosen emphasized, using the 'One Health' approach, which recognises that the health of people, animals, plants and the environment are closely linked and interdependent, can go a long way in addressing AMR.
All hands have to be on deck to preserve the effectiveness of medicines for the treatment, control and prevention of infectious diseases in animals, humans and plants when needed. We have to end inequity and injustice in health responses.
Contd from previous issue
“In low and middle-income countries, lack of access to medicines is causing more deaths than AMR itself.”
AMR can affect anyone. None are immune from it. It can happen to anyone, anywhere. Even a minor injury, routine surgery, or a common lung infection could unexpectedly escalate into a life-threatening situation.
‘AMR is invisible, but I am not’- So goes the slogan by WHO Task Force of AMR Survivors - who have survived drug-resistant infections or cared for those with such infections.
Felix Liauw, a pediatrician from Indonesia and a member of WHO Task Force of AMR Survivors, shared the traumatic story of his 3 month old son who passed away due to delay in diagnosis and extensive misuse of medicines. Right after his birth, Liauw’s son suffered from chronic diarrhoea and fever. He was initially diagnosed with sepsis. His sepsis treatment changed from first-line to second-line and eventually to third-line antibiotics (mero-penem) but with no improvement in his condition. Then a genetic test was done and it took 6 weeks to get the results that he had congenital short bowel syndrome- a rare genetic condition. It took a very long time to make this correct diagnosis, and by then it was too late. He also had hospital acquired infections. While there is no cure for this disease, the disorder usually can be treated effectively. So timely and correct diagnosis is key.
"As a pediatrician and caregiver, I would like to share that we should give antibiotics or other antimi-crobials only when we have a confirmed diagnosis. We should be aware of hospital-acquired infections and do all what we can to stop the transmission of infections”, advises Liauw.
Animal Health and AMR
Yu Qiu, Animal Health Officer, at Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) rightly points out that AMR is a One Health issue because it represents the growing challenge to the agriculture and food sector with serious consequences for human health, animal health, food safety and global food security. Drugs used to treat infections in livestock and companion animals are becoming less effective.
More and more animals are not getting timely diagnosis and treatment against the infectious diseases, resulting in increased mortality and reduced productivity. The World Bank projects that livestock production in low- and middle-income countries could decline by 11% by 2050. This could pose a significant challenge to food safety and livelihood of farmers whose income also relies on food producing animals for their household, said Yu Qiu.
Agrees Ana Luisa Pereira Mateus, Scientific Coordinator at the Antimicrobial Resistance and Veterinary Products Department, World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH): "Untimely mortality and morbidity in animals due to emergence of AMR is having an adverse impact on livelihoods of those who depend on food producing animals, because of decreasing productivity. AMR also impacts local economies. Up to one in five people in the world depend on food producing animals to secure their livelihoods. The cumulative global gross domestic product (GDP) loss due to AMR in livestock is predicted to be US$ 575 billion by 2050."
Environment and AMR
According to Wondwosen Asnake Kibret, Policy and Partnerships Coordinator, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the environment plays a key role in the development, transmission and spread of AMR. Increased use and misuse of antimicrobials and other microbial stressors, such as pollution, create favourable conditions for microorganisms to develop resistance from sources such as sewage. The environmental dimensions of AMR include pollution from hospital and community wastewater, effluents from pharmaceutical production, and waste originating from agriculture and livestock. These may contain not only resistant microorganisms, but also antimicrobials, microplas-tics, metals and other chemicals, all of which increase the risk of AMR in the environment, he added.
A future sans the threat of AMR
All of us, including the youth of today, want a future which is free from the threats of AMR.
“AMR warrants a whole of society approach to address it. The role of youth, who represent a significant part of our population, is crucial as key stakeholders in achieving joint action against AMR. Empowering the next generation through effective communication is not just a necessity but a powerful tool to inspire learning, advocacy, and action,” said Augusto Baron, member of Quadripartite Working Group for Youth Engagement on AMR.
And as Wondwosen emphasized, using the 'One Health' approach, which recognises that the health of people, animals, plants and the environment are closely linked and interdependent, can go a long way in addressing AMR.
All hands have to be on deck to preserve the effectiveness of medicines for the treatment, control and prevention of infectious diseases in animals, humans and plants when needed. We have to end inequity and injustice in health responses.