‘People still at risk of death from microbial diseases’

Despite the huge advances made in access to medicines in recent years, thousands of people — particularly babies, children, and mothers — are still at risk of serious illness or death from treatable infectious diseases. According to the Lancet, the global fight against antimicrobial resistance could be under threat unless the evidence base for policies to control resistance is radically improved. The lancet series henceforth urges renewed focus on understanding which policies will work to combat antimicrobial resistance, but it also points out that globally, lack of access to antimicrobial drugs remains a major issue.

More people still die every year from a lack of access to antimicrobials than they do from being infected by resistant bacteria, and so global efforts to fight resistance must not inadvertently further restrict access to antibiotics, say the authors. Current global efforts to combat resistance are too modest, say the series authors, and poorly coordinated. According to the authors existing policies to combat antimicrobial resistance — such as guidelines promoting responsible use of antibiotics in hospitals, or infection prevention measures — are poorly understood. As a result, policymakers have little reliable guidance as to the best options for controlling antimicrobial resistance, and concerted action is needed to fully evaluate and research the best ways to control antimicrobial resistance, classified by the World Health Organisation as a major global threat.

The authors reiterate that resistance will not be beaten unless a “One Health” approach is adopted globally, recognising that the health of humans, animals and ecosystems are interconnected.