Antimicrobial resistance a threat to public health

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 165 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Merlino

Antimicrobial resistance is a complex issue and is a threat to public health globally. While emerging and re-emerging diseases have captured news headlines with outbreaks such SARS, bird flu, Ebola and Zika virus around the world, leading health experts tells us that there is a more serious threat to public health – antimicrobial resistance (AMR)1.

2021 ◽  
pp. 096366252198925
Author(s):  
Monika Djerf-Pierre ◽  
Mia Lindgren

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest challenges facing the world. With the rapid growth of social media, YouTube has become an influential social media platform providing publics with expert health knowledge. This article explores how antimicrobial resistance is communicated on YouTube. Drawing on qualitative media analyses of the most viewed YouTube videos 2016–2020, we identify seven different genres and two main storytelling approaches, personalized and fictionalized storytelling, used to make sense of antimicrobial resistance and its complexities. The study contributes new knowledge about YouTube as a platform for health communication and the types of videos about antimicrobial resistance that gets most traffic. This is useful, not the least for public health experts working to improve communication strategies that target hard-to-reach media publics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mainak Bardhan ◽  
Debolina Pramanik ◽  
Rizana Riyaz ◽  
Mohammad Mehedi Hasan ◽  
Mohammad Yasir Essar

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc in the world from last year, and any further insults like Zika virus will surely bring the apocalypse unto us. In July 2021, Zika began spreading in India, mainly in the state of Kerala. Zika infection resembles closely COVID-19 and other arboviral infections, which might lead to delayed and misdiagnosis, further leading to underreporting of cases. Some of the feared complications of Zika include Guillain–Barré syndrome and congenital Zika syndrome leading to microcephaly. Thus, Zika virus disease (ZVD) has significant public health and social impacts. Since the trifecta of infectious diseases (host, agent and environment) are all conducive to the spread of Zika in India, there is a huge risk that ZVD might become endemic in India, which is especially dangerous in the backdrop of this pandemic. This has to be stopped at all costs: the main aspects of which are public health measures, vector control and early diagnosis, especially in case of pregnant women. The diversion of healthcare resources for this pandemic has albeit made this difficult, but we must do our bit if we have to overcome this situation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana M Betts ◽  
Ee Laine Tay ◽  
Paul D R Johnson ◽  
Caroline J Lavender ◽  
Katherine B Gibney ◽  
...  

Laboratory-confirmed infection with Mycobacterium ulcerans is currently notifiable to health departments in several jurisdictions. Accurate surveillance is imperative to understanding current and emerging areas of endemicity and to facilitate research into a neglected tropical disease with poorly-understood transmission dynamics. The state of Victoria currently reports some of the highest numbers of M. ulcerans cases in the world each year, with 340 cases notified in 2018 (an incidence of 5.5 per 100,000 population). In May 2019, a group of clinical, laboratory and public health experts met to discuss a new case definition for the surveillance of M. ulcerans disease in Victoria, incorporating clinical and epidemiological elements. The new case definition supports important public health messaging and actions for residents and visitors to popular tourist areas in Victoria.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly G. Vest

AbstractZika virus has captivated the world with its quick spread throughout the Western Hemisphere. Increased emphasis has been placed on the infection of pregnant women and subsequent adverse and severe effects in the developing fetus and newborn. This article supplements a previous article and provides updated information on new and evolving evidence that strengthens the association between Zika virus and unique congenital and neurologic diseases, updates what is known about the epidemiology of the disease, and provides new and updated material for primary care providers as they counsel patients who may be exposed or infected. With the extent of disease spread, it is expected that Zika virus will become endemic to the Western Hemisphere and will change the public health parameters and approach in this area of the world. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:163–167)


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 97
Author(s):  
Kenneth H. Eckels ◽  
Rafael A. De La Barrera ◽  
Joseph Robert Putnak

In February of 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Zika virus (ZIKV) a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. This prompted a rapid response from both the private and public sector resulting in the generation of several promising vaccine candidates. In this review, we discuss published scientific efforts associated with these novel vaccines, emphasizing the immunological assays used to evaluate their immunogenicity and efficacy, and support future licensure.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 224-227
Author(s):  
Rabia Aftab

The Zika virus (ZIKV), first discovered in 1947, has emerged as a global public health threat over the last decade, with an accelerated geographic spread of the virus occurring in the last 5 years. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that millions of cases of ZIKV are likely to occur in the Americas between 2016 and 2017. These projections, in conjunction with an increase in newborn microcephaly cases that are suspected to be ZIKV-associated, prompted the WHO to declare a public health emergency of international concern in February 2016. With the current media attention, it is likely that GPs will be consulted on th topic, particularly by pregnant women.


Author(s):  
Leticia Cristina S. Monteiro ◽  
João Luiz da Silva Filho ◽  
Jose Luiz Proença Modena ◽  
Fabio T. M. Costa

Zika virus (ZIKV) represents a public health challenge to Brazil and the rest of the world, especially because ZIKV infection has been linked to neurological sequelae, such as congenital fetal syndrome. Here, we aim to verify the role of Gas6 in the pathogenesis of ZIKV infection, by evaluating the expression of Gas6 and TAM receptors in patients infected by the virus with different degrees of disease severity, and infection of different human cells in vitro.


2007 ◽  
Vol 12 (35) ◽  
Author(s):  
Collective Editorial team

On 23 August, the World Health Organization published its latest World Health Report, subtitled ‘A Safer Future: Global Public Health Security in the 21st Century’.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 458-476
Author(s):  
Mohit Kumar ◽  
Mridula Saxena ◽  
Anil K. Saxena ◽  
Sisir Nandi

Objective: The world is under the grasp of dangerous post-antibiotics and antimicrobials attack where common infections may become untreatable, leading to premature deaths due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). While an estimated 7,00,000 people die annually due to AMR, which is a public health threat to all communities in different parts of the world regardless of their economic status; however, this threat is serious in low- and middle-income countries having lack of sanitation and health infrastructure. The 68th World Health Assembly endorsed the Global Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance. Consequently, many countries started drafting and committing to National Action Plans against AMR. As strong as National Action Plans are in terms of prescribing rational use of antimicrobials, infection control practices, and related public health measures, without strong healthcare systems, these measures will have a limited impact on AMR in developing countries. Methods: The major reason for AMR is microbial quorum sensing (QS) that may strengthen the microbial community to generate inter-communication and virulence effects via quorum sensing mechanisms. Global stewardship to combat antimicrobial resistance aims to develop anti-quorum sensing compounds that can inhibit the biosynthetic pathway mediated different quorum sensing targets. Results: It may pave an effective attempt to minimize microbial quorum sensing mediated antimicrobial resistance. The present review describes QS mediated various potential target enzymes, their connection to AMR, and finds out the corresponding QS biosynthetic target inhibitors. Conclusion: These potential inhibitors can be derivatized to design and develop next-generation antimicrobial agents.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 103-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Patrick ◽  
Thayalan Kandiah

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the ability of bacteria to change, rendering antimicrobials (such as antibiotics, antivirals and antimalarials) ineffective in treating common infections, or as prophylaxis after major surgery or cancer treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that these ‘superbugs’ will become a major threat to public health. 1


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