The UN General Assembly will hold a high-level meeting on 26 September to discuss the potentially catastrophic impacts of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
This week, a new study in the Lancet has predicted that almost 40 million people will die directly because of drug-resistant infections by 2050, while drug-resistant bugs will also be indirectly implicated in the deaths of a further 169 million people.
RMIT Professor Rajaraman Eri, immunology and gut health expert, said ‘Antimicrobial resistance occurs when microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond effectively to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
‘The rise of antimicrobial research poses a profound challenge to modern medicine, potentially reversing decades of medical progress,’ he said.
‘The upcoming UN General Assembly high-level meeting reflects the urgent need for global action to combat one of the greatest public health threats of our time.’
Political will, targets, then action
Professor Eri says that while political will and measurable targets (the focus of the upcoming UN meeting) are important, other critical actions are also needed to effectively address the challenges of antimicrobial resistance, including:
- Robust surveillance systems that track resistance patterns across human, animal and environmental sectors.
- Global data sharing government action to urgently reduce antibiotics use in agriculture, switching to alternatives such as vaccines and probiotics.
- Funding for laboratory diagnostics, infection prevention and control measures in low- and middle-income countries, to reduce antibiotic reliance.
- New antibiotics (which is not currently lucrative for pharmaceutical companies), alternative therapies and rapid diagnostics.
- Importantly, new treatments affordable and accessible for all.
‘Antimicrobial resistance is often called the “silent epidemic”, but it could be silenced with global cooperation,’ concluded Professor Rajaraman Eri.
