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"A Call to Action on AMR :UN General Assembly Convenes High-Stakes Meeting."

  • 365healthdiaries
  • Jun 13, 2024
  • 2 min read

Updated: Nov 12, 2024

By Hamu Madzedze

Online Health Editor -Zimbabwe

The UN General Assembly will convene a High- Level Meeting on Antimicrobial resistance(AMR )for the second time during its 79th session (UNGA79) in September amid an increase in AMR cases globally.

This meeting which is being held in New York is an opportunity for world leaders to collectively address the looming threat AMR poses to global health , food security and achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

"Drug -resistant infections know no borders ,meaning no single country can respond to AMR alone"said the World Health Organisation in a statement.

Meanwhile the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said through a political declaration at the High-Level meeting UN Member States will commit to new targets and practical steps to address this global threat for humans,animals,plants and the environment .

This year's High-Level Meeting will be held under the theme "Investing in the Present and Securing Our Future Together:Accelerating Multi-sectoral Global,Regional and National Actions to Address Anti-microbial Resistance"

AMR occurs when bacteria ,viruses,fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial agent.As a result of drug resistance to antibiotics and antimicrobial agents infections become difficult or impossible to treat hence increasing the risk of disease spread,severe illness and death.

The first UN High-Level Meeting on AMR took place in 2016 and it resulted in a political declaration which stated the importance of prevention and control of infections in humans and animals which is key in addressing AMR.

The Institute For Health Metrics and Evaluation reports that in 2019 1.27 million deaths were directly caused by AMR while 4.95 million people who died in 2019 suffered from drug-resistant infections such as lower respiratory, bloodstream and intra-abdominal infections and 1 in 5 people who died from AMR was a child under 5 years old often from previously treatable infections.

Campaign Slogan:Antimicrobial resistance is invisible. I am not

 
 
 

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