The independent Review on Antimicrobial Resistance has highlighted the power of simple measures to prevent infections, as well as the potential role of vaccines.
The UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, commissioned the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance in July of last year to address the growing global problem of drug resistant infections. Chaired by Lord Jim O’Neill, the Review has published a series of reports which have discussed a wide range of issues – from the need for rapid diagnostics to stop unnecessary use of antibiotics, plans to overhaul the global antibiotics pipeline, the economic burden of AMR (which is predicted to cost up to $100 trillion by 2050), to the importance of reducing global antibiotic use in livestock. Two new reports, published in February and March of this year, now turn the focus to infection prevention and control strategies – from ‘simple measures’ such as improved hygiene in healthcare settings, to the role of vaccines in preventing infections.
Vaccines and alternative approaches
The first of these two reports, Vaccines and alternative approaches to reduce our dependence on antimicrobials, sets out that there are too few vaccines and alternative approaches to antibiotics available for doctors to use to tackle many of our most urgent drug resistance threats. The Review highlights the need for more investment in developing these products.
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