Where to start?

The reality is antibiotic resistance does not affect just one or a few countries, it affects the whole world. The globalised society that we live in today enables bacteria to be transmitted from country to country bringing with them new resistances for antibiotics.

We wanted to find out if this issue was at the forefront of the minds of people of influence: is this a current problem that is being discussed? And are action plans being established that aim to reduce this problem both in the short and long term?

Interviewing a global scale expert

We interviewed Dr. Simon Ruston, a Politics lecturer at the University of Sheffield and researcher on the global politics of health. Simon explained to us where the problem of antibiotic resistance sits in the political field.

Thankfully, the problem of antibiotic resistance is on the radar of international organisations; both intergovernmental and non-governmental. In 2011, the World Health Organisation put together a policy package for combating antimicrobial resistance, their five key objectives are below.The global action plan has 5 strategic objectives:

1. To improve awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance
2. To strengthen surveillance and research
3. To reduce the incidence of infection
4. To optimize the use of antimicrobial medicines
5. To ensure sustainable investment in countering antimicrobial resistance.

Of particular note is their fourth strategic point “To optimize the use of antimicrobial medicines”. The World Health Organisation are calling for research and development in making new tools to combat this problem including “improving current diagnostic tests” This validates our project on a global scale.

Communication on a global scale is essential for the effective, global combatting of antibiotic resistance however as Simon pointed out, organisations like WHO are unable to respond to the problem beyond carrying out research, offering recommendations and appealing to governments. WHO is supporting Member States to develop their own national action plans, in line with the objectives of the global plan but it is up to individual governments to have the willingness and the means to be able to respond to this problem with policy changes. Often conflicting interests can hinder this.

The global call to arms

Finally, to show the voice of world governments, we have extracted quotes from various reports.

“Finally, operational research and research and development to make new tools available are crucial in combating antimicrobial resistance. This includes improving current diagnostic tests...”

The WHO policy package to combat antimicrobial resistance (2011)

“What we urgently need is a solid global plan of action which provides for the rational use of antibiotics so that quality-assured antibiotics reach those who need them, but are not overused or priced beyond reach.”

MSF Response to WHO Report on Antimicrobial Resistance (2014)

“Develop and approve new diagnostics, including tests that rapidly distinguish between viral and bacterial pathogens”

U.S: National Strategy for Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (2014)

“I call on the governments of the richest countries to mandate now that by 2020, all antibiotic prescriptions will need to be informed by up-to-date surveillance information and a rapid diagnostic test wherever one exists.”

Tackling Drug-resistant Infections Globally Final Report And Recommendations (2016)

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