|
WHO, UN agencies sound alarm on drug-resistant infections
30.04.2019 17:11 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) —
Deaths caused by infections from antibiotic-resistant bacteria will skyrocket over the next two decades worldwide, along with huge economic costs, without immediate, ambitious and coordinated action, UN Radio says referring to the report UN Ad hoc Interagency Coordinating Group on Antimicrobial Resistance report issued yesterday by the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and other UN agencies.
As to the report, if no action is taken, drug-resistant diseases could cause 10 million deaths each year by 2050 and damage to the economy as catastrophic as during the 20082009 global financial crisis. By 2030, antimicrobial resistance could force up to 24 million people into extreme poverty.
Currently, at least 700,000 people die each year due to drug-resistant diseases, including 230,000 people who die from multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.
In meanwhile, the report calls for a coordinated, multisectoral ‘One Health’ approach.
It recommends that the countries should: 1) prioritize national action plans to scale-up financing and capacity-building efforts; 2) put in place stronger regulatory systems and support awareness programs for responsible and prudent use of antimicrobials by professionals in human, animal and plant health; 3) invest into ambitious research and development for new technologies to combat antimicrobial resistance; and 4) urgently phase out the use of critically important antimicrobials as growth promoters in agriculture.
«It rightly emphasizes that there is no time to wait, and I urge all stakeholders to act on its recommendations and work urgently to protect our people and planet and secure a sustainable future for all,» Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General and Co-Chair of the IACG, admitted while commenting on the report.
Also available:
|
| |
|
|