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On this World Health Day for 2011 the World Health Organization has released their 6-point plan to help protect and preserve our fragile pharmaceutical defenses against bacterial pathogens.
World Health Day – 7 April 2011
Antimicrobial resistance: no action today, no cure tomorrow
Antimicrobial resistance is not a new problem but one that is becoming more dangerous; urgent and consolidated efforts are needed to avoid regressing to the pre-antibiotic era.
For World Health Day 2011, WHO is introducing a six-point policy package to combat the spread of antimicrobial resistance.
World Health Day 2011: policy briefs
1. Commit to a comprehensive, financed national plan with accountability and civil Society engagementpdf, 552kb
For more on all of this the WHO has released the following press statement:
World Health Day 2011
Urgent action necessary to safeguard drug treatments
News release
6 April 2011 | Geneva - Drug resistance is becoming more severe and many infections are no longer easily cured, leading to prolonged and expensive treatment and greater risk of death, warns the WHO on World Health Day. Under the theme "Combat Drug Resistance", WHO calls for urgent and concerted action by governments, health professionals, industry and civil society and patients to slow down the spread of drug resistance, limit its impact today and preserve medical advances for future generations.
On the brink of losing miracle cures
“The message on this World Health Day is loud and clear. The world is on the brink of losing these miracle cures,” said WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan. “In the absence of urgent corrective and protective actions, the world is heading towards a post-antibiotic era, in which many common infections will no longer have a cure and, once again, kill unabated.”
Measures to combat drug resistance
Today, WHO is publishing a policy package that sets out the measures governments and their national partners need to combat drug resistance. The policy steps recommended by WHO include:
- develop and implement a comprehensive, financed national plan
- strengthen surveillance and laboratory capacity
- ensure uninterrupted access to essential medicines of assured quality
- regulate and promote rational use of medicines
- enhance infection prevention and control
- foster innovation and research and development for new tools.
