U.N. Adopts Declaration To Address Antimicrobial Resistance; Challenges Persist

The Economist: The rise of drug resistance
“On September 21st in New York all 193 U.N. member states agreed to tackle the growing resistance of microbes to antibiotics. Drug-resistant infections now kill more than 700,000 people a year. On current trends, that number may reach 10m by 2050…” (9/23).

Global Health NOW: “Just the Beginning”: U.N. Adopts AMR Declaration
“…While the adoption of the declaration leavened the stark warnings about [antimicrobial resistance (AMR)], concerns about how to make inroads into the complex global problem persist. A paucity of new antibiotics, the fast-spreading resistance to antibiotics and other treatments, widespread usage of antibiotics for livestock, simultaneous over-prescription and lack of access to antibiotics, and a host of other issues await answers…” (Simpson, 9/21).

NPR: U.N. Pledges To Fight Antibiotic Resistance In Historic Agreement
“…Doctors have been warning about this problem for decades. But in the past year or so, another group of researchers has started taking interest in superbugs: economists. And they quickly realized the problem goes way beyond health…” (Doucleff, 9/21).

PRI: The U.N. just took on antibiotic resistance, but can diplomacy help us combat disease?
“…Laura Kahn, a physician and research scholar at Princeton University, says actually, international cooperation is our best shot at fighting antibiotic resistance. That’s because the causes of antibiotic resistance are rooted in issues like the global economy, food security, and the environment. … But if anything, Kahn says, the spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment underscores the need for a coordinated effort like the U.N.’s to address the issue — with solutions ranging from improving public sanitation to encouraging development of antibiotic alternatives…” (Franz, 9/22).

Quartz: The U.N. just categorized antibiotics in the food system as a crisis on par with AIDS and Ebola
“…Health advocates, including at the Pew Charitable Trusts, have said they expect many countries will look to the U.S. to take the lead in determining how best to best tackle resistance…” (Purdy, 9/22)

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

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