A roundup of news on drug resistance and other topics in global health.

In this seven-part series, Healthline News covers the issue of antibiotic resistance from a number of angles, including the legislative barriers to restricting antibiotic usage and the development of resistance mechanisms in bacteria. CDDEP Fellow Sumanth Gandra and CDDEP Director Ramanan Laxminarayan were interviewed for the piece. [Healthline News]

A US appeals court last week ruled that the FDA had the right to reject two petitions challenging the subtherapeutic use of antibiotics in animal feed. In his dissenting opinion, Judge Theodore Katzmann wrote that the decision allowed the FDA to “openly declare that a particular animal drug is unsafe but then refuse to withdraw the approval of that drug. It also gives the agency discretion to effectively ignore a public petition asking it to withdraw approval from an unsafe drug.” [Natural Resources Defense Council]

A recent study shows widespread resistance to the antimalarial drug artemisinin in Southeast Asia. [The Wall Street Journal]

To keep costs low for individual health plans, insurers in the US are operating with narrower provider networks. [The New York Times]

A new study by the Centre for Science and Environment has revealed high levels of antibiotics in chickens in India. The study s findings led the Indian Medical Association to call for a ban on the use of antibiotics for growth promotion in poultry. [NDTV, dna India]

Emergency efforts including school closings and the authorization of house-to-house searches for infected people are currently under way to contain the spread of Ebola in West Africa.

At least one of two American medical missionaries infected with the Ebola virus while working in Liberia will be transported to Atlanta s Emory University for treatment. [The New York Times, USA Today]

Former US Assistant Surgeon General Susan Blumenthal discusses the threat of tuberculosis and the steps necessary to eradicate the disease in this blog post. [The Huffington Post]

A report from the US Department of Homeland Security found that many children detained while crossing the US-Mexico border require treatment for communicable diseases, including scabies and tuberculosis. [The Hill]

This slideshow from Curos highlights the importance of disinfection practices in healthcare settings. [Curos]

While tobacco smoking rates in the US are on the decline, smoking remains more common among those living below the poverty level and those with GED-level education, as well as among the LGBT community and American Indian or Alaskan Natives, according to the CDC. [NPR]

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