Antibiotic resistance, one of the greatest challenges to global public health, causes approximately 1.2 million deaths annually. The mobilization proposed by the member countries of the G20 is essential to address the issue.
The indiscriminate use of antimicrobials in human health, animal health, and agro-food production, as well as social and environmental factors, are the main contributors to the acceleration of antibiotic resistance, which is responsible for 1.27 million direct deaths and 5 million associated deaths per year, according to a United Nations report . This was the key issue at the opening of the Ministerial Meeting of the G20 Health Working Group, which takes place in Natal, capital of the state of Rio Grande do Norte.
"This topic is of great importance to the whole world. Antibiotic resistance is a threat to global health. If this resistance continues to grow, by 2050 our antibiotics will no longer treat the diseases they treat today," warned Ethel Maciel, secretary of Health Surveillance and Environment from the Ministry of Health.
Last Sunday afternoon (1st), representatives of the G20 countries, the United Nations system, non-governmental organizations and academia, who are working on the prevention and response to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), discussed sharing experiences and learning about the One Health intersectoral collaboration - the integrated approach that recognizes the connection between human, animal, plant and environmental health.
Countries that received joint support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) shared their action plans for AMR to promote awareness and adaptation by other countries.
Another highlight was the role of the Antimicrobial Resistance Multi-Partner Trust Fund (AMR/MPTF) in supporting countries to prevent and respond to AMR. The instrument supports national, regional and global efforts to put into practice the AMR Action Plan. The meeting in Natal aligns actions and strategies for the G20 countries to sign the United Nations Declaration on tackling AMR, on September 26 in New York, United States.
Health in the G20
Since the declaration of the 2016 General Assembly of the United Nations meeting on AMR, there has been political movement and commitment to address the issue in human, animal and environmental health sectors through a One Health approach. Progress has been limited:although 178 countries have developed National Action Plans (NAPs) for AMR, only 11% have allocated budgets for implementation.
The socioeconomic costs of AMR are also high, with the treatment of resistant infections projected to cost 412 billion dollars and economic productivity losses estimated at around 443 billion dollars. AMR is also expected to cause an 11% decline in livestock production in low-income countries by 2050, which will put the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at risk. The One Health approach is essential to respond to AMR in human, animal, plant and environmental sectors.
The meeting of the Health Working Group (Health WG) of the G20 takes place from September 1st to 3rd in Natal, the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Norte. Approximately 25 countries and 28 international organizations will be gathered to prepare health proposals for the ministerial meeting in Rio de Janeiro in October.
At the meeting, agreements on the themes discussed throughout the year will be established, so that they can be taken to international organizations and endorsed by the ministers that compose the Health WG.
