SUSTAINABILITY

Antimicrobials. A report out on April 29 from the UN Interagency Coordination Group (IACG) on Antimicrobial Resistance says that there is “No Time To Wait”, warning of the increase in antimicrobial resistance due to the misuse and overuse of existing antimicrobials. The report highlights the dangers of medicines losing their effectiveness and recommends that countries implement stronger regulatory systems and awareness-raising support programs for the responsible and prudent use of antimicrobials by animal and plant health professionals. In addition, it attributes the spread of infectious diseases and drug-resistant pathogens to weak food safety and waste management systems. It is hoped that countries will take measures to combat this phenomenon on the basis of this report, which aims to give the issue more weight on the international agenda.

The report is the result of joint work between UN agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). It warns that recent years have seen “alarming levels” of resistance recorded in countries of all income levels, leading to common diseases becoming untreatable. The report predicts that global deaths from drug-resistance will rise to 10 million a year by 2050. It also states that the economic damage caused by uncontrolled antimicrobial resistance could be comparable with that of the 2008 global financial crisis, due to an associated increase in health care and food production expenditure.

Among other points, the report attributes increased drug resistance to the absence of good agricultural practices to prevent infectious diseases on farms, and to the systematic use of these substances to promote growth and prevent diseases in animals and healthy crops without appropriate instructions. The document thus recognizes the close relationship between humans, animals, food and environmental health, and calls for a multisectoral response from a health-oriented perspective. In this way, it urges that the UN Secretary General strengthen global governance and international responsibility by creating a global antimicrobial resistance health cluster.

Next steps

Based on this document, the Secretary General is expected to launch measures to promote joint working between countries, as well as at national level, to combat the adverse effects of these drugs. Governments are expected to update their national policies to gradually eliminate the use of critical antimicrobials in agriculture and livestock.