Research forum: imaging a post-antimicrobial future

Antimicrobial resistance, or AMR,1 is a global challenge, with the WHO declaring it one of the ‘top 10 global public health threats facing humanity’. Specifically, the WHO, governments and researchers have highlighted the ‘misuse and overuse of antimicrobials’, and the lack of clean water, sanitation and preventative measures, specifically noting concern over resistant strains of gonorrhoea, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus influenza, HIV, malaria and tuberculosis (WHO 2021). AMR leads to increased morbidity, mortality and costs from infections, not least as a patient may cycle through several antimicrobials before an effective one is prescribed. Additionally, many second-line and third-line (and beyond) antimicrobials are not readily available in low-resource settings. Moreover, antimicrobials are regularly prescribed as a prophylaxis, for instance, to prevent infection in routine surgeries (WHO 2021). There have long been concerns over AMR within the medical community, going back at least to 1907 (Hutchison, page 359)....
Source: Medical Humanities - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Open access, Editor's choice Editorial Source Type: research