U.N. General Assembly Adopts Political Declaration Pledging Action On Antimicrobial Resistance

Associated Press: U.N. adopts declaration on antimicrobial resistance
“World leaders approved a wide-ranging declaration Wednesday aimed at addressing the rising number of drug-resistant infections — something the World Health Organization says has the potential to kill millions and undermine the global economy, likening it to ‘a slow-motion tsunami’…” (Astor, 9/21).

CBS News: HHS Secretary Burwell on U.N. meeting on antibiotic overuse, Zika in U.S.
“…[In this video,] Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell joins ‘CBS This Morning’ ahead of her General Assembly address on Wednesday…” (9/21).

CIDRAP News: U.N. leaders pledge to fight antimicrobial resistance
“…Before the meeting, delegates agreed to a draft political declaration in which they committed to developing and implementing national action plans to address rising drug resistance. ‘Antimicrobial resistance poses a fundamental, long-term threat to human health, sustainable food production, and development,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the assembled delegates. ‘We are losing our ability to protect both people and animals from life-threatening infections’…” (Dall, 9/21).

The Guardian: U.N. meeting tackles the ‘fundamental threat’ of antibiotic-resistant superbugs
“…The declaration routes the global response to superbugs along a similar path to the one used to combat climate change. In two years, groups including U.N. agencies will provide an update on the superbug fight to the U.N. secretary general…” (Holpuch, 9/21).

Los Angeles Times: United Nations takes on antimicrobial resistance
“…Heads of state and country delegates … vowed to increase international coordination and funding aimed at monitoring the emergence of antimicrobial resistance and reducing the misuse of antimicrobial agents in human and veterinary health and agriculture. Working from a blueprint drafted in 2015 by the World Health Organization, U.N. agencies overseeing global medicine, agriculture, animal health, and economic development are to sketch out a raft of actions for the General Assembly to take up in September 2018…” (Healy, 9/21).

New York Times: World Leaders Agree at U.N. on Steps to Curb Rising Drug Resistance
“…The agreement is nonbinding, and did not require countries to commit to specific targets, as the climate treaty signed by world leaders last year did. But it was a first step in a broad effort to tackle the growing problem of drug resistance, which doctors say could eventually render our most prized medicines powerless…” (Tavernise, 9/21).

Reuters: United Nations pledges to fight drug-resistant superbugs
“…The countries also pledged to tighten the regulation of antimicrobial medicines, increase communication on how best to use them and find new alternatives to such medicines, including the use of better diagnostics to match the right treatment with the right infection, and the use of vaccines to prevent infections…” (Steenhuysen, 9/21).

U.N. News Centre: At U.N., global leaders commit to act on antimicrobial resistance
“…In a joint statement issued during the meeting, WHO, FAO, and [the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)] noted that ‘such plans are needed to understand the full scale of the problem and stop the misuse of antimicrobial medicines in human health, animal health, and agriculture’…” (9/21).

VICE News: Antibiotic-resistant superbugs are the biggest global health threat, U.N. says
“…Currently, an estimated 23,000 people in the U.S. and 700,000 people globally die each year due to antimicrobial resistant illnesses or infections, according to the U.K. government. That death toll could rise to 10 million by 2050, according to the antimicrobial resistance review…” (Ruble, 9/21).

VOA News: Top Officials Gather at U.N. to Address Falling Effectiveness of Antibiotics
“…Earlier this month, the World Bank issued a report on the economic implications of antimicrobial resistance. The report, titled ‘Drug Resistant Infections: A Threat to Our Economic Future,’ concluded that antimicrobial resistance has the potential to cause a level of global economic damage possibly worse than the 2008 financial crisis…” (Berman, 9/21).

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