Asia-Pacific nations declare their intention to address antibiotic resistance and issue a warning.
AMR is becoming a more serious threat to global health and development, as well as to the nations and regions that make up the WHO's Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions, which are home to almost half of the world's population. An estimated 7,00,000 deaths in the two regions were attributed to AMR in 2019, which accounts for more than half of all AMR-related deaths worldwide.
Geneva In a press release on Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that health leaders from South-East Asian and Western Pacific countries and regions issued a warning and pledged to collaborate in order to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) more successfully.
At a gathering held in Geneva, Switzerland, on the fringes of the World Health Assembly, they approved a joint position paper on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the Asia-Pacific region's human health sector.
The joint position paper, which was started by the Japanese government and supported by 25 Asia-Pacific nations (Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste, Tonga, and Vanuatu), demonstrates the will of the region's leaders to step up AMR-related initiatives in the human health sector over the course of the next five years.
The release also stated that the paper will be brought to the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance in New York in September 2024 in order to promote cooperation and partnerships with other parts of the world.
Drug-resistant illnesses are becoming more common as a result of human, animal, and plant abuse and overuse of antimicrobials, particularly antibiotics. This increases the risk of medical procedures and treatments like chemotherapy and surgery, as well as making common infections more difficult to treat.
A lack of WASH (clean water, sanitation, and hygiene) and insufficient infection prevention and control are additional factors that lead to the emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections. These encourage the growth of treatment-resistant microbes in hospitals and public spaces.
AMR is becoming a more serious threat to global health and development, as well as to nations and regions in the WHO's Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions, which are home to almost half of the world's population. An estimated 7,00,000 deaths in the two regions were attributed to AMR in 2019, which accounts for more than half of all AMR-related deaths worldwide.
AMR poses a threat not only to human health but also to national and international economies. For example, countries and regions in the WHO Western Pacific Region are predicted to incur excess economic costs of up to USD 148 billion between 2020 and 2030 as a result of AMR unless it can be effectively addressed.
Saia Ma'u Piukala, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific, stated, "The endorsement of this joint position paper by 25 countries and areas across the Asia-Pacific region shows their determination to lead global efforts to tackle this fundamental threat to health and economies."
Leaders throughout the world are realizing how urgent it is to address antibiotic resistance. "We have to further accelerate international cooperation and leadership in response to the urgent issue of AMR, which is referred to as a'silent pandemic,'" stated Shiozaki Akihisa, Japan's Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare.
Saima Wazed, the WHO Regional Director for South-East steps taken today as follows: "This week, health ministers at the World Health Assembly will discuss how to accelerate the response to AMR. By making this commitment today, and taking it to the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR in September, countries from Asia and the Pacific are making clear that they recognise the urgency of action, and they are demonstrating commitment to drive change from our part of the world."
This week, the World Health Assembly will consider a resolution (proposed by Thailand along with Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Ecuador, Egypt, the European Union and its 27 Member States, Georgia, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Oman, Panama, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and United States of America) in addition to endorsing the joint position paper on AMR in the Asia Pacific region's human health sector.
In addition, the release stated that the draft resolution calls on WHO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) to continue working with Member States on efforts to address AMR and to adopt the WHO strategic and operational priorities to address drug-resistant bacterial infections in the human health sector, 2025–2035. This recognizes the need for a One Health approach - involving human and veterinary medicine, agriculture, aquaculture, the environment, and other sectors.