Antimicrobial resistance already causes millions of deaths according to the most comprehensive study on the burden of AMR so far, published in The Lancet. It shows that almost 1,3 million deaths were directly attributable to bacterial AMR in 2019 and almost 5 million deaths associated with AMR. This is evidence that the fight against antimicrobial...
What if pneumonia or urinary tract infections could not be treated? Antimicrobial resistance could result in common infections becoming difficult to treat in the future and in worst case, even be fatal. The WHO initiative, World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, which starts today, aims at spreading awareness to stop antimicrobial resistance. ...
Overuse of antibiotics and superbugs could be worsening the Covid-19 pandemic in India, according to an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study of 10 hospitals. The study showed that more than half of the Covid-19 patients who get a secondary bacterial or fungal infection die. Covid-19 mortality worldwide is 10 %, the subgroup of patients...
Today, the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) starts, a WHO initiative that aims to increase awareness of global antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR is often referred to as the silent tsunami and is more relevant than ever in light of the on-going Corona pandemic. One of the risk factors associated with COVID-19 is secondary bacterial...
In an imagined scenario from 2041 the Economist describes how the world belatedly responded to antimicrobial resistance. If antibiotics stop working, the superbugs will spread rapidly. According to a study published in the scientific journal The Lancet1 in November 2018 more than 33,000 people die in Europe every year as a direct consequence of...
In an interview with Times of India, Lena Hallengren, the Swedish minister of Social Affairs mentions Bactiguard as one of the Swedish companies contributing to developing the healthcare sector in India. On a delegation trip to India the national magazine Times of India made an interview with the Swedish minister of Social Affairs, Lena...
The on-going annual World Antibiotic Awareness Week is a WHO initiative to put antibiotic resistance (AMR) in the spotlight and increase awareness. It also aims to encourage best practices to avoid the further emergence and spread of AMR. Now everyone can learn more trough an interactive game developed by the WHO. Our time with antibiotics is...
Modern, advanced healthcare is dependent on effective antibiotics. But incorrect and excessive use of antibiotics has allowed resistant bacteria to spread rapidly throughout the world. If this development doesn’t halt, common infections will be hard to treat and even become incurable. Premature care is an example where multi-resistant bacteria...
Infection prevention has never been more important. According to a study recently published in the scientific journal The Lancet, more than 33,000 people die in Europe every year as a direct consequence of infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria. 75 percent of these infections are so called healthcare associated infections (HAI). An...
According to the World Health Organization antibiotic resistance is rising to dangerously high levels in all parts of the world. New resistance mechanisms are emerging and spreading globally, threatening our ability to treat common infectious diseases. Without urgent action, we are heading for a future in which infections and minor injuries could...
On 26 May 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) agreed on a resolution to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of sepsis. The resolution urges governments to strengthen their policies in infection prevention and to decrease the spread of antimicrobial resistance. The resolution itself focuses on the following key preventive actions:...
The Infectious Diseases Society of America has recently released a report titled Faces of Antimicrobial Resistance, a compilation of patient stories that shows the reality of antimicrobial resistance and its impact on actual lives. Moving beyond data and statistics, the report delves into how antimicrobial resistant infections first appeared in...
A recent in-depth review published in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (Oxford University Press) has identified extremely high rates of antimicrobial resistance to bloodstream infections in neonates and children in India. In a survey of over 50,000 reported blood cultures, almost one-third (29.1%) were positive for...
Urinary tract infections resulting from the use of indwelling urinary catheters are one of the most common healthcare associated infections, causing patient suffering and a large financial strain on healthcare systems. These infections can also result in more serious complications such as bloodstream infections with high mortality rates. These...
The World Antibiotic Awareness Week takes place this year on 14-20 November and aims to raise awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which is now widely considered as one of the biggest threats to human health globally. In 35 years, antimicrobial resistance is expected to kill 10 million people globally. In comparison, 8...
The Days of Molecular Medicine (DMM) 2016 meeting titled “Bugs to Bedside to Biotech” took place on October 27 – 28 at the Karolinska Institutet this past week. The meeting highlighted the interface of new technologies to fight the next generation of infective agents, pandemics and superbugs being created by the over-use of antibiotics. The...
This week is the annual International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW), , and aims to raise awareness of the role infection prevention plays in improving patient safety. IIPW is organized by the US-based Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) which is the leading professional association for infection...
We are about to enter a post-antibiotic era in which common infections and minor injuries can kill since medicines have lost their effectiveness. Today is the first day of the “World Antibiotic Awareness Week”, aiming to increase awareness of the global antibiotic resistance and to encourage best practices among public, health workers and...
The effectiveness of antibiotics is declining, making once-treatable common infections more difficult to cure due to increasing antibiotic resistance. The number of patients dying of an infection is rising and so are the costs for the healthcare system and society, according to a new report from the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics &...
Every year, as many as 500 000 people die from common infections, as they can no longer be treated with antibiotics due to antimicrobial resistance. This situation also has an impact on the economy, with a cost of about 1.5 billion euro for increased healthcare cost and loss of productivity in the EU alone. And the problem is steadily growing....
Infectious diseases, caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria, are a steadily increasing problem around the world. The consequences are huge, both from a human and economic perspective. If action is not taken, about ten million lives are at risk and cost is expected to reach above 100 trillion USD in 2050. This is stated in the report “Review on...
