International travel may spread destination-specific antimicrobial resistance genes
(BMC (BioMed Central)) Travelers abroad may pick up bacteria and other vectors containing genes conferring antimicrobial resistance which remain in the gut when returning to their home country, according to a study published in Genome Medicine. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - June 7, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Global travelers pick up numerous genes that promote microbial resistance
(Washington University School of Medicine) Research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that international travelers often return home with new bacterial strains jostling for position among the thousands that normally reside within the gut microbiome. Such travel is contributing to the rapid global increase and spread of antimicrobial resistance. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - June 6, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Omani doctor on a mission to combat antimicrobial resistance
Imagine surviving a severe illness like cancer only to die from an infection caused by germs resistant to antimicrobial drugs. 28 May 2021 The helplessness of being called to the scene too late for patients who were previously on their way to recovery from illness or surgery, drove Dr Amal Saif Al-Maani and her colleagues to lead the race against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) upstream. Since 2015 and for more than 10 years now, they advocated for, developed and implemented a national strategy to control antimicrobial resistance. “As an infectious disease specialist, by the time you get involved, there is nothing muc...
Source: WHO EMRO News - May 30, 2021 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news

Global microbiome study discovers thousands of new species, maps urban antimicrobial resistance and reveals new drug candidates
(Weill Cornell Medicine) About 12,000 bacteria and viruses collected in a sampling from public transit systems and hospitals around the world from 2015 to 2017 had never before been identified, according to a study by the International MetaSUB Consortium, a global effort at tracking microbes that is led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - May 27, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news

The changing health needs of the UK population, The Lancet
This paper explores the current health of the population and its changing needs, and notes that the NHS will need to mitigate the consequences of COVID-19, and also strengthen its resilience to reduce impact of other threats eg Brexit, climate change, and antimicrobial resistance (Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH))
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - May 25, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Patient expectations, doctors' prescribing habits, and antimicrobial resistance
(American Academy of Family Physicians) Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for upper respiratory tract infections contributes to antibiotic resistance, making some bacterial infections difficult to treat. This often leads to higher medical costs, prolonged hospital stays and increased mortality. Still, many physicians report prescribing antibiotics at their patients' request. To address patients' expectations for antibiotic prescribing for URTIs, researchers conducted an experiment in which study participants were assigned brief educational videos to watch on a tablet immediately prior to their appointment. (Source: Eure...
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - May 11, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

New PhRMA report shows nearly 90 medicines in development to fight drug-resistant infections, but future pipeline remains challenging
The discovery and introduction of antibiotics in the 1940s transformed modern medicine and enabled tremendous progress in health care and life expectancy. Today, this progress is being threatened by a health crisis on the rise: antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR affects at least 3 million Americans and results in 48,000 U.S. deaths annually. The World Bank Group ’s 2017 report on drug-resistant infections estimates that unless action is taken, AMR globally could take 10 million lives annually by 2050, a higher toll than from cancer. If we fail to address the crisis, many modern medical advances that depend on antibiotic...
Source: The Catalyst - April 29, 2021 Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: Medicines in Development Research and Development & D Focus Antimicrobial Resistance Source Type: news

Pew Charitable Trusts and CDC Find Hospitals Are Overusing Antibiotics, Set New Targets for Antibiotic Prescribing and Avoiding Antimicrobial Resistance
Clinical laboratories and microbiology tests provide key tools for physicians engaged in antibiotic stewardship programs One important and continuing trend in healthcare is the need for hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical providers to introduce effective antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs). The findings of a recent study on antibiotic stewardship emphasize the need for improvement and […] The post Pew Charitable Trusts and CDC Find Hospitals Are Overusing Antibiotics, Set New Targets for Antibiotic Prescribing and Avoiding Antimicrobial Resistance appeared first on Dark Daily. (Source: Dark Daily)
Source: Dark Daily - April 21, 2021 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Jude Tags: Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice Laboratory Management and Operations Laboratory News Laboratory Pathology Laboratory Testing Uncategorized Source Type: news

A Post-COVID-19 Recovery will not be Possible if Water, Sanitation & Hygiene are not High on the Agenda
Michael, 34, a nurse at Wurm CHPS, Ghana, washes his hands. Every healthcare centre in the world’s poorest countries could have taps and toilets for just half-an-hour’s worth of COVID-19 spending. Credit: WaterAid / Apagnawen AnnankraBy Helen HamiltonLONDON, Apr 7 2021 (IPS) This World Health Day, G20 finance ministers will meet in Rome, Italy, to discuss how they will build back from the pandemic. The global economy is and concerted effort, coordination and imagination is needed to enable not only a worldwide recovery but also to ensure that the world’s poorest people are not left behind. The World Health Organiza...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - April 7, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Helen Hamilton Tags: Development & Aid Education Environment Global Headlines Health Humanitarian Emergencies Inequity Poverty & SDGs Sustainability TerraViva United Nations Water & Sanitation Source Type: news

UK scientists warn of 'catastrophic' impact of funding cuts
Loss of grants, driven by deep cuts to foreign aid, threatens research and international collaborationsSenior scientists fear that deep cuts to government research spending will have “catastrophic” consequences for the UK, with projects cancelled midway through and some of the brightest minds moving to other countries.Hundreds of research projects tackling issues from the Covid pandemic to antimicrobial resistance and the climate crisis are already being axed after the country ’s main science funder, UK Research and Innovation, told universities its budget for official development assistance (ODA) grants had been cut...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 31, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Ian Sample Science editor Tags: Science policy Aid Global development Society UK news Politics Source Type: news

Environmental antimicrobial resistance driven by poorly managed urban wastewater
(Newcastle University) Pollution in rivers and canals from inadequately managed urban wastewater, rather than aquaculture, is driving environmental antimicrobial resistance, research carried out in Thailand has found. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - March 30, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Africa: TB Testing in 2020 Dropped Drastically Due to Covid-19
[The Global Fund] On World Tuberculosis Day, new data shows the COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the fight against another deadly airborne disease: tuberculosis. Global Fund surveys in 13 countries with the highest TB burden in the world reveal that 29% fewer people were tested for TB compared to 2019. Worse, in those same countries, there were 45% fewer people tested for multidrug-resistant TB -- one of the most frightening forms of antimicrobial resistance. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)
Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - March 25, 2021 Category: African Health Source Type: news

Covid won't be the last pandemic. Will we be better prepared for the next one? | Devi Sridhar
Whether it ’s a new virus or antimicrobial resistance, governments must build on the lessons of 2020 to defeat the next outbreakCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageWouldn ’t it be wonderful if we never had to face another pandemic? As we reflect on the past year, the words that come to mind are “never again”. Never again should more than 120,000 lives be lost to a contagious virus, a number that would have been unthinkable almost a year ago, when government adv isers thought thatlosing 20,000 people would be a good outcome. Nor should we endure another year of lockdowns, and the pain of jo...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 24, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Devi Sridhar Tags: Coronavirus Science World news UK news Infectious diseases Source Type: news

The UK will never become a 'science superpower' if it's cutting research budgets | Jeremy Farrar
The government promised to increase funding for vital scientific R&D by 2.4% – but its target is already slippingEarlier this week, the government put science at the heart of its strategy for the UK ’s place in the world. In itsintegrated review, it argued that cutting-edge science and strong leadership from the UK could make a huge difference for humanity. Researchers in the UK could benefit both the UK and the wider world by working to solve global problems such as climate change, antimicrobial resistance and pandemics.This is completely right – scientists in the UK absolutely can do this. And I’d like to be ...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 19, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Jeremy Farrar Tags: Research and development Science Politics UK news Research funding Foreign policy Source Type: news

UK scientists attack 'reckless' Tory cuts to international research
Projects tackling some of world ’s major problems – including the climate crisis – are set to be cancelled or cut back after budget cuts Hundreds of key research projects aimed at tackling some of the world ’s major problems – from antimicrobial resistance to the climate crisis – will have to be cancelled or cut back thanks to budget cuts imposed by the government.Last week, the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) agency – which controls science funding in Britain – told universities that its budget for international development projects had been cut from £245m to £125m.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 14, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Robin McKie Tags: Science Research Climate change Budget 2021 Higher education UK news Universities Source Type: news