October 03, 2011
The 1st Global Forum on Bacterial Infections kicked off today with an inaugural session featuring Hon. Dr Ghulam Nabi Azad, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, Hon. Professor Peter Anyang Nyong’o, Minister of Medical Services, the Republic of Kenya, and Hon. Mr Robert Joseph Mettle-Nunoo, Deputy Minister of Health, Ghana, putting forth commitments to reducing the burden of bacterial infections in their respective countries. The session also saw the release of the New Delhi Call to Action on Preserving the Power of Antibiotics, a document acknowledging antibiotics as a shared common resource and emphasizing strategies to preserve their effectiveness for future generations.
Much of the discussion focused on the need to balance expanding access to life-saving treatment with controlling the spread of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic consumption is rising rapidly in developing countries like India and China, which is good in that it indicates increased access to life-saving drugs, but it also points to the need for sensible policies to preserve antibiotic effectiveness.
Here are a few key data points to emerge from today s talks:
- In 2005, 48% of all antibiotics used worldwide were used in the livestock and agricultural sector
- Pneumococcal disease accounts for 20% of all deaths of under five year olds in Kenya, pointing to the need to expand access to appropriate antibiotics
- Research suggests that over 80% of livestock farmers in Kenya give antibiotics without veterinary supervision
- The PCV 9-valent pneumococcal vaccine may decrease invasive disease incidence among South African children by over 60%
- In India, diarrheal diseases are the number 1 cause of mortality for children under 14
- In South Africa, over 50% of K. pneumoniae nosocomial isolates are ESBL-producers
- 1.6 million annual deaths of children under 5 could be prevented with universal coverage and access to medicines
The first day sessions also featured country perspectives from Vietnam, Chile and Sweden, as well as a debate on providing antibiotics to children under five in the community vs. in the facility.
More tomorrow, including a press release on the New Delhi Call to Action and some new data on antibiotic resistance and access in the Indian context.
