Antimicrobial Resistance: A Report Calls for Urgent Action to Prevent a Global Crisis

If no immediate action is taken, diseases

Drug-resistant bacteria could cause some 10 million deaths per year by 2050, as well as economic consequences as severe as those caused by the 2008–2009 global financial crisis. This is the conclusion reached by several international organizations in a joint report submitted to the United Nations Secretary-General. United under a common banner, they draw They are sounding the alarm and making critical recommendations to step up the global fight against infections with antimicrobial resistance without further delay.

To protect people and the planet and ensure a sustainable future for all, urgent action is needed. The situation is critical, according to a new report* published by the United Nations Interagency Coordination Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (IACG)**. Antimicrobial resistance thus represents one of the greatest global threats. In this collective assessment, experts call for immediate, coordinated, and ambitious action to avert a potentially catastrophic crisis, which could result in the deaths of nearly 2.4 million people between 2015 and 2050 in high-income countries and plunge up to 24 million people into extreme poverty by 2030.

Antimicrobial agents (including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiprotozoals), which are essential tools for combating diseases in humans, animals, and plants, are gradually becoming

ineffective. As a result, alarming levels of resistance have been reported in countries with a wide range of income levels. According to the IACG report, nearly 700,000 people die each year from drug-resistant diseases, including 230,000 from multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

More and more common illnesses, such as respiratory and urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted infections, are becoming untreatable. Without the commitment of all countries, regardless of their level of wealth, the consequences for global health and the Sustainable Development Goals will be disastrous if antimicrobial resistance is not brought under control. And there is no time to wait: without urgent, global action, the situation will spiral out of control in less than a generation.

The report examines the nature and scope of the solutions needed to curb resistance and preserve the health gains made over the past century. Recognizing that human health, animal health, food health, and environmental health are closely linked, the report’s authors call for a coordinated, multisectoral response based on the “One Health” strategy, which aims to mobilize and unite all stakeholders around a shared vision and common goals. Without delay, they therefore urge all countries to take several essential measures:

• prioritize the development of national action plans to increase funding and strengthen national capacities;

• establish a stronger regulatory framework and support awareness-raising programs aimed at encouraging the responsible and prudent use of antimicrobials by professionals in human, animal, and plant health;

• invest in ambitious research and development programs to develop new technologies aimed at combating antimicrobial resistance;

• eliminate immediately

the use of key antimicrobial treatments considered to be growth promoters in agriculture.

In total, the 14 recommendations to be implemented require immediate commitment from all sectors and governments

from the private sector to civil society and academia.

Furthermore, the report reaffirms the commitment of FAO, WOAH, and WHO to concerted action at the global level.

For the FAO, the recommendations issue recognize the essential role played by antimicrobials in protecting food production, health security, and trade,

as well as human and animal health, and they clearly encourage their responsible use across all sectors. Countries must promote sustainable food systems and agricultural practices by developing viable alternatives to the use of antimicrobials.

For WOAH, antimicrobial resistance must be addressed as a matter of urgency by adopting the “One Planet, One Health” approach, which requires a bold, long-term commitment from governments and other stakeholders, supported by international organizations. This report outlines the level of commitment and coordination required to address this global challenge, which threatens public health, animal health and welfare, and food safety. Everyone has a role to play in ensuring future access to and effectiveness of these essential medicines.

According to the WHO, the fight to protect certain essential medicines has entered a decisive phase. This report contains concrete recommendations that could save thousands of lives each year.

While the challenges posed by antimicrobial resistance are complex and multifaceted, they are not insurmountable, according to the expert panel. The report emphasizes the need to coordinate and intensify efforts to overcome this major obstacle to

achievement of many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including universal health coverage, food safety, sustainable agricultural production systems, access to safe water and sanitation, as well as the reduction of poverty and inequality.

*http://oie.int/fileadmin/Home/fr/Media_Center/docs/pdf/IACG2019/IACG_final_report_FR.pdf

** International organizations that are members of the IACG:

• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO);
• World Health Organization (WHO)
• World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)
• Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria
• Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
• Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
• UNITAID
• World Bank
• World Customs Organization (WCO)
• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
• World Trade Organization (WTO)