NIH Holds Awareness Seminar On Antibiotic Resistance

(@ChaudhryMAli88)

NIH holds awareness seminar on antibiotic resistance

National Institute of Health (NIH) on Friday organized an awareness seminar on antibiotic resistance to educate people about this important medical issue

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Nov, 2019 ) :National Institute of Health (NIH) on Friday organized an awareness seminar on antibiotic resistance to educate people about this important medical issue.

The seminar was arranged in connection with the World Antibiotic Awareness Week. The theme for World Antibiotic Awareness Week 2019 is 'The future of antibiotics depends on us all'.

Addressing the seminar speakers said that the purpose of the observing this week event was to increase global awareness of antibiotic resistance (AMR), and encourage best practices among the general public, health workers and policy makers to prevent further emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance.

Executive Director NIH Maj Gen Prof Aamer Ikram said "We are now fully aware, that persistent overuse and misuse of antibiotics in human and animal health has encouraged the emergence and spread of AMR." He added "We would like to emphasize that prevention is key to stopping the spread of antibiotic resistance." He said that alarming levels of resistance have been reported in countries at all levels with the result that common diseases caused by either bacteria, viruses or fungi are becoming untreatable, and lifesaving medical procedures, such as caesarean section, hip replacements and others, are becoming riskier to perform.

He said that a growing list of infectious diseases, including pneumonia, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and foodborne diseases, are also becoming harder, and sometimes impossible, to treat.

Focal Person for AMR at NIH Dr Muhammad Salman said that antimicrobial resistance causes an estimated 700, 000 deaths globally, each year. By 2050, if left unaddressed, that number is projected to rise to 10 million, while the cumulative costs to both patients and health systems across the globe are expected to reach US$ 100 trillion, he added.

He said that although drug resistance occurs naturally with the use of antimicrobials, many interrelated factors accelerate the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance that including misuse and overuse of existing antimicrobials by humans and the animal and agricultural sectors, inadequate access to clean water, poor sanitation and hygiene in health care facilities, farms, schools, households and community settings, poor infection prevention and control measures in health facilities and on farms and lack of equitable access to affordable and quality-assured antimicrobials, vaccines and diagnostics.

Accordingly, the burden of infectious diseases in animals and humans is increasing which contributes to the emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens, he added.

Combating antimicrobial resistance is a shared responsibility among policymakers, health care providers both clinicians and pharmacists, patients, veterinarians, and farmers, he added.

He urged to take solid action at all levels to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics and prevent the continued spread of resistance. He said that national policymakers should sustain effective national responses to address the problem through increased political commitment and coordinated multisectoral efforts within the "One Health" approach.

He urged all health care workers to prescribe antibiotics appropriately and according to international and national guidelines, regularly wash hands, and get all required vaccinations. Pharmacists need to educate patients about the importance of complying with prescribed treatment regimes, he added.