GOJO and the Veterans Administration hospitals work together to drive hand hygiene compliance throughout the hundreds of VA hospitals nationwide to decrease the prevalence and burden of all disease-causing organisms, especially those that are antibiotic resistant.
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In the side-lines of the United Nations General Assembly High-level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in NY, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) will convene a panel debate to discuss “The Role of Partnerships in Supporting Innovation to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)” and report on industry progress in the fight against drug-resistant infections. If AMR spreads unchecked, many infectious diseases will again be untreatable, reversing a century of progress in public health.
One way to avoid that dire outcome is to make sure that doctors save the last-resort drugs for bacteria that other drugs can’t kill. Srinivasan said. “How much is even misunderstanding that they’ve heard of resistant infections, and think they need to use a stronger drug, but don’t actually need to?”
“This is the first time we have national estimates for what is going on in hospitals”, says Dr. Arjun Srinivasan, associate director of health care associated infection prevention programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and one of the co-authors of the study.
In response to a review on antimicrobial resistance, United Kingdom’s Government has committed to a reduction in antibiotic use in farmed fish farmed for direct human consumption in two years, using methodology harmonised across other countries in Europe.
Public health experts and microbiologists have long warned that drug-resistance among microbes is linked to the abuse of antibiotics in humans and animals, resulting from practices such as the sale of antibiotics without prescriptions and the overuse of antibiotics in farm animals.
An estimated 700,000 people die every year from drug-resistant infections already, according to the WHO.
Laxminarayan was let down by the UN’s draft resolution that was released this week since it lacks specifications. This overuse can encourage the growth of antibiotic resistant bacteria, which can spread to people through contaminated food, human to animal contact, air born dust and water runoff. However, experts praise that the issue is finally being addressed with the seriousness it needs.
The U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) delivered a letter signed by leaders in the American public health and medical communities to the U.S. Delegation of the United Nations today urging them to push for worldwide action to stop the misuse of antibiotics on livestock and poultry. It’s been more than 30 years since a new class of antibiotic has been introduced.
In a report addressed to the whole global community, British authorities express their intention to fulfil the commitment undertaken a year ago in their Manifesto, stating they continue to lead the global fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in human beings and in animals.
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The gene for colistin resistance, known as mcr-1, has been found in at least four people in the United States, including a CT toddler. If the United Nations meeting raises awareness about the risks of not taking action, it will be a worthwhile start. But that’s hard. Many people don’t think their individual actions are adding to the problem. “It’s always someone else”.
