WHO today published the new edition of its Model Lists of Essential Medicines and Essential Medicines for Children, which include new treatments for various cancers, insulin analogues and new oral medicines for diabetes, new medicines to assist people who want to stop smoking, and new
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antimicrobials to treat serious bacterial and fungal infections.
The listings aim to address global health priorities, identifying the medicines that provide the greatest benefits, and which should be available and affordable for all. However, high prices for both new, patented medicines and older medicines, like insulin, continue to keep some essential medicines out of reach for many patients.
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It is estimated that around 2 billion people worldwide do not have access to essential medicines. Access to medicines in the Eastern Mediterranean Region varies among countries, depending on their income level and allocation of domestic resources to medicine and vaccine procurement. Access to safe a
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nd effective antibiotics remains a major challenge, especially for low- and middleincome countries. Barriers to access include high prices for new products, weak regulatory systems, substandard and falsified antibiotics, shortages of essential antimicrobials and inefficient procurement and supply management systems.
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Antibiotic Stewardship (AS) is a coordinated program that promotes the appropriate use of antimicrobials to improve patient outcomes, reduce microbial resistance, and decrease the spread of multi-drug resistant organisms. In clinical settings, stewa
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rdship activities focus on measuring and improving how antibiotics are prescribed by clinicians and used by patients. Improving antibiotic prescribing involves implementing effective strategies to modify prescribing practices to align them with evidence-based recommendations for diagnosis and management.
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Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) describes a coherent set of actions that ensure optimal use of antimicrobials to improve patient outcomes, while limiting the risk of adverse events (including antimicrobial resistance (AMR)). Introduction of AMS prog
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rammes in hospitals is part of most national action plans to mitigate AMR, yet the optimal components and actions of such a programme remain undetermined.
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The course will cover the topics related to antimicrobial resistance with basic definitions and overview on antimicrobials their use and the emergence and spread of resistance. The course will guide you through the concepts and the importance of re
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sistance spread and dissemination and how that happens. It will show you how bacteria become resistant and which mechanisms they might use for this. And as part of the course you will also receive some training in methods for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and detection of specific resistance in the microbiological laboratories with the basic methods available and with focus on the obtention of good quality results which can be interpreted and used for different purposes.
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Every year, millions of patients are affected by infections transmitted during their stay in a health-care facility, where resistant germs are often transferred via the hands of health workers. Resistance to antimicrobials reduces or impedes the eff
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ectiveness of any treatment for the prevention and cure of infections. Hand hygiene is the most effective intervention to reduce transmission of infections and resistant germs. The World Health Organization recommends the 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene. Watch this video produced by WHO's Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean to learn more about Hand Hygiene and the WHO 5 moments !
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The AMR Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform aims to catalyse a global movement for action against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by fostering cooperation between a diverse range of stakeholders at all levels across the One Health spectrum. It seeks to ensure a healthier, more sustainable and resi
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lient present and future in which antimicrobials are preserved as critical lifesaving medicines accessible to everyone.
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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi.
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections ha
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rder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others.
Antimicrobials - including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics - are medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants. Microorganisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes referred to as “superbugs”.
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Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT, sleeping sickness) and Animal African Trypanosomiasis (AAT) are neglected tropical diseases generally caused by the same etiological agent, Trypanosoma brucei. Despite important advances in the reduction or disappearance of HAT cases, AAT represents a risky reserv
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oir of the infections. There is a strong need to control AAT, as is claimed by the European Commission in a recent document on the reservation of antimicrobials for human use. Control of AAT is considered part of the One Health approach established by the FAO program against African Trypanosomiasis. Under the umbrella of the One Health concepts, in this work, by analyzing the pharmacological properties of the therapeutic options against Trypanosoma brucei spp., we underline the need for clearer and more defined guidelines in the employment of drugs designed for HAT and AAT. Essential requirements are addressed to meet the challenge of drug use and drug resistance development. This approach shall avoid inter-species cross-resistance phenomena and retain drugs therapeutic activity.
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In 1998 the Swedish Veterinary Association decided to adopt a general policy for the use of antibiotics in animals. Since then specifi c policies for the use of antibiotics in dogs and cats have been adopted and in 2011 Guidelines for the use of Antibiotics in Production animals – Cattle and Pigs,
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were accepted. By decision of the board of the Swedish Veterinary Society (SVS) these guidelines have been updated. Th e over-arching goal of SVS is to achieve a low and controlled use of antibiotics in Swedish animal production so that the fi rst-hand choices of treatment remain effi cient and that the spread of antimicrobial resistance – among animals and herds as well as in the food chain – is kept at a minimum. Keeping antimicrobial resistance in animals low is important also for human health, since we are all part of the same ecosystem. Th e authors of these guidelines hope that they may be useful for veteri-narians in clinical practice when deciding on treatments for common diseases and ailments caused by bacteria. Sometimes the decision may even be to refrain from use of antibiotics and chose other ways of improving herd health.
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Η ανακάλυψη πριν από 80 περίπου χρόνια ότι ουσίες που παράγονται από μύκητες ή βακτήρια μπορούν να χρησιμοποιηθούν θεραπευτικά για την ίαση διαφόρων λοιμώξεων, έφε
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ε επανάσταση στα τότε ιατρικά δεδομένα. Οι λοιμώδεις νόσοι αποτελούσαν τότε την πρώτη αιτία θανάτου για κάθε ηλικιακή ομάδα. Το γεγονός αυτό ανατράπηκε με την έναρξη της χρήσης των ουσιών αυτών, που ονομάστηκαν αντιβιοτικά λόγω της ιδιότητας τους να καταστρέφουν τα μικρόβια. Έκτοτε εκατομμύρια ζωές έχουν σωθεί με τη χορήγηση αντιβιοτικών για την αντιμετώπιση σοβαρών λοιμώξεων. Σήμερα, οκτώ δεκαετίες μετά, οι πολύτιμες αυτές για τον άνθρωπο ουσίες χάνουν με συνεχώς επιταχυνόμενο ρυθμό την αποτελεσματικότητά τους λόγω επίτασης του φαινομένου της Μικροβιακής Αντοχής στα αντιβιοτικά.
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Guide to access the National AMR Surveillance Dashboard
Tackling antimicrobial resistance- a story of a community playing its part.
This first volume of comic strips is titled "tackling antimicrobial resistance: a story of a community playing its part". It basically contains messages tailored for individuals at the grassroot.
This volume is specifically meant for health professionals. It is titled "tackling microbial resistance: a story of health professionals playing their part".
Like the first volume, this one contains messages for the community but they are presented in a different version.