July 11, 2014
A roundup of news on drug resistance and other topics in global health.
A study published on Thursday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases by researchers at CDDEP and Princeton University shows that global antibiotic consumption soared 36% between 2000 and 2010. The BRICS countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa accounted for 76% of this increase.
CDDEP Director Ramanan Laxminarayan told NPR that while an increase in antibiotic consumption means that “more people in poor countries are getting life-saving drugs…the concern is that the consumption of last-resort drugs has also gone up significantly since 2010. If drug resistance develops to these antibiotics, we have nothing else left to use.” [The Lancet, NPR]
Health research and development is crucial in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. With Member State negotiations on the UN’s post-2015 agenda set to enter a decisive stage in September, the Council on Health Research for Development (COHRED) is encouraging the prioritization of health R&D. Endorse their appeal here. [COHRED]
Veterinary experts in the UK have urged the government to cut the use of antibiotics in livestock in order to curb increasing rates of human resistance. [The Guardian]
Tuberculosis is often discussed as a problem for the developing world; we often forget that it remains a significant problem in certain communities in the US, writes Polly J. Price in The New York Times. [New York Times]
The President s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) held a public meeting on Friday to discuss its forthcoming report on addressing antibiotic resistance. Maryn McKenna discussed the report s likely objectives on Wired s Superbug blog. [Wired]
A new UN report ranks 24 foodborne parasites according to their impact on global health. [Food Safety News]
A WHO report released on Thursday highlights the need for countries to step up action on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan said that while countries around the world have expressed their commitment to tackling increasing numbers of NCDs, many lack the capacity to deal with them effectively. [WHO]
A new report by the World Bank examines how we can control diseases that are spreading more readily due to climate change. [World Bank]
Research published this week in Science Translational Medicine shows that the malaria parasite hides in bone marrow during its development process. [Voice of America]
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