Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

To limit the catastrophic effects of the increasing bacterial resistance to antimicrobials on health, food, environmental, and geopolitical security, and ensure that no country or region is left behind, a coordinated global approach is required. In this Viewpoint, we argue that the diverging resource availabilities, needs, and priorities of the Global North and the Global South in terms of the actions required to mitigate the antimicrobial resistance pandemic are a direct threat to success. We argue that evidence suggests a need to prioritise and support infection prevention interventions (ie, clean water and safe sanitation, increased vaccine coverage, and enhanced infection prevention measures for food production in the Global South contrary to the focus on research and development of new antibiotics in the Global North) and to recalibrate global funding resources to address this need. We call on global leaders to redress the current response, which threatens mitigation of the antimicrobial resistance pandemic.

Original publication

DOI

10.1016/s2214-109x(23)00554-5

Type

Journal

The Lancet. Global health

Publication Date

03/2024

Volume

12

Pages

e516 - e521

Addresses

Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine, Department of Medicine, Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. Electronic address: marc.mendelson@uct.ac.za.

Keywords

Humans, Bacterial Infections, Anti-Infective Agents, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Sanitation, Drug Resistance, Bacterial