The head of the UN health agency says 1.3 million people die every year from infections with resistant, ‘superbugs’.
Urgent action on AMR is as important as climate action, said Director-General Ghebreyesus, who arrived in Jeddah after attending the COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku.
During the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2024, a Political Declaration on Antimicrobial Resistance was issued, setting clear goals. He said, now these promises have to be converted into concrete steps.
The heads of UN agencies shared three main priorities, especially for low- and middle-income countries:
- Arranging sustainable financing from domestic and international sources
- Preparing to fight antimicrobial resistance through research, development and innovation
- Increasing access to quality antimicrobial drugs and promoting their appropriate use
The WHO director-general has warned that the problem of antimicrobial resistance is caused by the inappropriate and overuse of antimicrobials. But because these medicines are not available to them, a large number of people die every year.
According to Dr. Tedros, the challenges of AMR are before us, but so are the solutions, and these opportunities must be seized through collaboration, to protect the medicines that save us.
When antimicrobial drugs cease to have an effect on microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites, antimicrobial resistance occurs. Drug resistance renders antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs ineffective, makes treatment of infections difficult or impossible, and increases the risk of disease spread, serious illness, disability, and death.
In a political declaration adopted by the UN General Assembly in September, world leaders committed to reducing deaths due to antimicrobial resistance by 10 percent by 2030. Additionally, an appeal has been made to ensure funding of $100 million at the national level to support AMR-focused planning in at least 60 percent of countries by 2030.
Dr. Hanan Al Balkhi, Director of the United Nations Health Organization for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, said the AMR problem is not limited to the third goal of sustainable development (health). It has 11 of the 17 goals – from food production to equity.
In view of this, he said it was important for stakeholders from different sectors to come together in Jeddah to remind everyone that they should not forget AMR on their agenda.
Dr. Balkhi said that the Jeddah conference focused on building partnerships, exchanging experiences and finding better ways for mutual interaction.
According to him, lack of sanitation and access to health care in areas affected by violent conflict increases the risk of antimicrobial resistance. For this reason, the UN agency is taking preventive measures including providing safe drinking water to prevent the spread of AMR in war-torn areas.