January 02, 2015
A roundup of news on drug resistance and other topics in global health.
IndiaSpend published an investigation this week entitled “2 Million Reasons India Should Restrict Antibiotics.” The story focused on the recently-published Review on Antimicrobial Resistance figure that two million Indians could die of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections by 2050. The IndiaSpend article highlighted recent CDDEP research on the subject and quoted CDDEP resident scholar Sumanth Gandra. [IndiaSpend]
Resistance to last-line antibiotic colistin has been found in India, according to recent research published in the Journal of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. CDDEP Director Ramanan Laxminarayan was interviewed for a Times of India story on the paper and colistin’s use in India. [Journal of Microbiology and Clinical Infection, Times of India]
The Global Antibiotic Resistance Partnership (GARP)-Nepal working group released the first situation analysis of antibiotic resistance in Nepal in December. The launch of the analysis and its presentation to officials in Nepal were highlighted this week in a CDDEP blogpost written by GARP-Nepal working group chair Buddha Basnyat. [CDDEP]
Elevated antibiotic levels have been found in several Chinese rivers, according to a recent report from China Central Television (CCTV). Coverage of the issue in Global Times focused on concerns that illegal discharges from pharmaceutical companies and rampant antibiotic use in farms have contributed to the problem, likely increasing levels of antibiotic resistance in the country. [Global Times]
The CDC is continuing to see evidence that this year’s flu season could be more severe than usual. The latest CDC weekly influenza surveillance report found flu mortality has reached the epidemic threshold for this point in the season, with significant activity from the H3N2 strain of the virus and 15 pediatric deaths so far. [CDC]
Malaria workers in Ebola-affected countries have significant concerns about the outbreak’s impact on malaria’s spread as many patients with malaria-like symptoms in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are avoiding health centers for fear of contracting the Ebola virus. Liberia has also suspended distribution of 2 million malaria nets out of Ebola concerns. Malaria remains a leading cause of death for children and adults in West Africa, with more annual deaths than Ebola in all three countries. [AP]
Major news outlets focused on Ebola as one of the biggest news stories of 2014; a New York Times investigation detailed the ultimately unsuccessful efforts to stop the outbreak in the spring of 2014, and an editorial from The Economist claimed that some of Ebola’s long-lasting results in West Africa will be economic damage and eroded civil liberties in the affected countries. [The Economist, The New York Times]
Whooping cough proteins are evolving quickly and may render the current vaccine less effective according to research published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. The paper analyzed pertussis (whooping cough) strains from a 2012 outbreak in the United Kingdom and found that the bacterium is evolving faster since the introduction of the vaccine. [Journal of Infectious Diseases]
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