WHO releases report ‘Promoting the development of new antibacterial therapies, 2023’
Recently the World Health Organization (WHO) has released the report ‘Promoting the development of new antibacterial therapies, 2023’.
This report has been released by WHO in partnership with the Global AMR R-D Hub. This report outlines the progress made and the remaining gaps in ensuring an improved antibiotic treatment approach to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The Global AMR R&D Hub is a partnership of countries, non-governmental donor organizations and intergovernmental organizations.
It aims to address challenges in global AMR research and development using the One Health approach and improve coordination and collaboration.
Key findings of repot:
- AMR is one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity. Because of this, 4.95 lakh people died in 2019.
- 1 in 5 deaths due to AMR occurs in children under 5 years of age.
- If no steps are taken to stop it, by 2050 it could cause a loss of US$ 100 trillion to the global economy.
- AMR occurs when germs such as bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi become resistant to antimicrobial treatments to which they were previously susceptible.
Reasons for the rise in AMR cases:
- Inappropriate use of antibiotics due to lack of awareness;
- Excessive use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry farming etc.
Key recommendations –
- The AMR R&D system should be strengthened through sustainable and predictable funding.
- Promote equitable and universal access to antibiotics while addressing unmet public health needs and other essential health products (including diagnostics and vaccines) for AMR.
Source – WHO
