United Nations General Assembly Holds High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance
The United Nations (UN) General Assembly convened a high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) for the second time during its 79th session (UNGA 79) in New York during September 2024. Drug-resistant infections know no borders, meaning no single country can respond to AMR alone. This meeting was an important opportunity for world leaders to collectively address the looming threat AMR poses to global health, food security, and achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more: UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance 2024.
Organized by the President of the General Assembly, a multi-stakeholder hearing on antimicrobial resistance took place on May 15, 2024, as part of the preparatory process for the high-level meeting. The hearing was a key moment for stakeholders from across different sectors to contribute, ahead of intergovernmental negotiations on the political declaration. The hearing was supported by WHO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Organisation for Animal Health (also known collectively as the Quadripartite organizations), and other relevant partners. The first high-level meeting on AMR took place in 2016.
Lancet Study Forecasts More Than 39 Million Deaths from Antimicrobial Resistance by 2050
According to a new study published during September in The Lancet, antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections could take the lives of more than 39 million people by 2050 unless action is taken to improve health care quality, prevent infections, reduce inappropriate antibiotic use, and develop new antibiotics.1
The modeling study was performed by researchers with the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) Project. Based on historical trends and the current trajectory of antimicrobial resistance, it projects that more than a million people will die annually from 2025 to 2050 from an antibiotic-resistant infection, with an estimated 1.91 million dying in 2050. That represents an increase of almost 70% per year compared with 2021.
In an accompanying commentary, Samuel Kariuki, PhD, of the Kenya Medical Research Institute, says that while the model is limited by scarcity of data in many low- and middle-income countries and doesn't account for the potential emergence of new superbugs, it provides a clearer understanding of how the burden of antimicrobial resistance is developing and could help policy makers around the world make more informed decisions about interventions.2
- Naghavi, Mohsen et al. Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance 1990–2021: a systematic analysis with forecasts to 2050. The Lancet, Volume 404, Issue 10459, 1199-1226.
- Kariuki, Samuel. Global burden of antimicrobial resistance and forecasts to 2050. The Lancet, Volume 404, Issue 10459, 1172-1173.
WOAH Report Forecasts the Economic Impacts of AMR in Food-Producing Animals
A recent report by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and a group of collaborators outlines the predicted impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in livestock. AMR is a silent pandemic that must be curbed via a multidisciplinary, multi-sectoral One Health approach, backed by political will, government commitment and public–private partnerships. This global threat affects the health of humans, animals and plants. Using a One Health approach, this EcoAMR study provides current estimates and up-to-date predictions of the health and economic burdens associated with AMR in humans and livestock, to facilitate policy action.
EcoAMR findings underscore the severe threat caused by AMR if no action is taken. Forecasts for 2025-2050 show that 38.5 million human deaths will be associated with bacterial AMR. Moreover, the global health care costs of AMR could rise to $159 billion a year by 2050. In the animal sector, cumulative global gross domestic product loss due to AMR in livestock is predicted to be $575 billion by 2050. These multi-sectoral results provide strong evidence that calls for urgent action to curb AMR.
More information on the global impact of AMR on animal health:
Change starts at home: summary of the 2023 inaugural Small Animal Antimicrobial Stewardship Workshop for U.S. Veterinary Schools
Claire L. Fellman, Emily Janovyak, Emma R. Bollig, Ian M. DeStefano, Dubraska Diaz-Campos, and Jennifer L. Granick
Abstract
Small animal antimicrobial stewardship (AS) is emerging as a priority area in the global battle against antimicrobial resistance. Veterinary practices have limited support for implementation of AS programs, and even within veterinary schools, efforts are largely siloed and often limited in scope. Increased collaboration is needed to support and unify AS and infection prevention and control efforts, and to identify priorities for continued research. To address this, a 2-day in-person small animal AS workshop was held in August 2023. Delegates representing 23 U.S. veterinary schools and 4 corporations/government agencies gathered for a series of lightning talks and focused group discussions in 3 domains: implementation of clinical AS programs, research opportunities and needs, and education. The workshop's goal was to identify and propose solutions for AS challenges. Meeting discussion identified a lack of resources and training as the greatest barriers to hospital AS program advancement and suggested creating standards for AS programs and a road map to support program development. Assessing antimicrobial treatment effects and performing studies to establish necessary treatment durations were considered the highest research priorities. Integrated educational practices were recommended to support unified messaging of AS concepts between preclinical and clinical training. The development of strategies to implement these suggestions was delegated to working groups with a goal to continue meeting biennially as a large group. Sharing news of these efforts is considered integral to heightening awareness and promoting implementation of AS practices moving forward in academic, specialty, and primary care settings.
Citation: Fellman, C. L., Janovyak, E., Bollig, E. R., DeStefano, I. M., Diaz-Campos, D., & Granick, J. L. (2024). Change starts at home: summary of the 2023 inaugural Small Animal Antimicrobial Stewardship Workshop for US Veterinary Schools. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 1–7. Advance online publication. doi:10.2460/javma.24.07.0478
A survey of U.S. and Caribbean veterinary schools reveals strengths and opportunities in antimicrobial stewardship and infection prevention and control activities
Jennifer L. Granick, Claire L. Fellman, Ian M. DeStefano, Dubraska Diaz-Campos, Emily Janovyak, Amanda L. Beaudoin, and Emma R. Bollig
Abstract
Objective: To understand antimicrobial stewardship (AS) and infection prevention and control (IPC) activities in veterinary schools.
Methods: An online survey was completed by representatives from American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges-accredited veterinary schools in the US and Caribbean prior to attending the Inaugural Small Animal Antimicrobial Stewardship Workshop for U.S. Veterinary Schools. Responses were examined to identify patterns among AS and IPC activities and adherence to the AVMA core principles.
Results: Half (12 of 24) of the surveyed schools had an AS committee and most (79% [19 of 24]) had an IPC committee. Lack of dedicated staff time was a common barrier to AS (88% [21 of 24]) and IPC (75% [18 of 24]) reported by schools both with and without AS and IPC committees. Eleven of 24 schools (46%) reported performing at least 1 activity focused on each of the AVMA's 5 core principles of AS. Although 79% (19 of 24) of schools incorporate AS into preclinical curricula, training of clinical faculty (17% [4 of 24]), veterinary technicians and support staff (21% [5 of 24]), and house officers (42% [10 of 24]) is less common, despite these individuals engaging in teaching clinical-year veterinary students.
Conclusions: Veterinary schools varied in established AS education and AS and IPC practices, though financial and human resources were a common barrier.
Clinical relevance: A collaborative and cohesive approach to AS and IPC among schools to create sustainable frameworks for practice improvement will help combat the global threat of antimicrobial resistance. This is a critical action for settings where future veterinarians are trained.
Citation: Granick, J. L., Fellman, C. L., DeStefano, I. M., Diaz-Campos, D., Janovyak, E., Beaudoin, A. L., & Bollig, E. R. (2024). A survey of US and Caribbean veterinary schools reveals strengths and opportunities in antimicrobial stewardship and infection prevention and control activities. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 1–4. Advance online publication. doi:10.2460/javma.24.07.0477
MDH MDRO Webinar Series
MDH will present a series of webinars on multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) including carbapenemase-producing organisms and Candida auris. Discussion and topics will vary by webinar and will include the containment strategy, organism information, annual case counts, case studies, enhanced barrier precautions, and discussions of MDRO screening. The upcoming webinar aims to be highly interactive and will provide time for questions.
The intended audience includes congregate settings such as long-term care and assisted living providers, including infection preventionists, directors of nursing, and interested health care staff.
Nursing CEUs will be provided to those who attend the webinar.
Registration Now Open for FDA 2024 One Health Virtual Symposium
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA CVM) is hosting a virtual CVM One Health Symposium “Paws, Claws, Hooves, Fins, and Feet—Advancements through a One Health Approach” on Nov. 19, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event is open to all members of the veterinary community.
The goal of the symposium is to highlight CVM’s role in protecting human and animal health and to share information on the center’s One Health approach to:
- Animal drug safety surveillance;
- Animal drug development for minor species, such as honeybees, and minor uses in major species like cattle, dogs, and horses;
- Animal cells, tissues, and cell- and tissue-based products, such as blood or platelet-rich plasma; and
- Novel food ingredients that function in the gut of an animal to affect qualities like feed efficiency, waste output, and the reduction of pathogens in food products made from the animal.
This program has been approved for 4 hours of RACE continuing education credit for veterinarians and veterinary technicians in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval. Please note that RACE credit is only available for those who attend the live event.
To register for the event, please visit Registration: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine One Health Symposium. For general symposium questions, please email AskCVM@fda.hhs.gov.
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