scholarly journals COVID-19 pandemic and antimicrobial resistance in developing countries

Discoveries ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e127
Author(s):  
Abdul Rehman Arshad ◽  
◽  
Farhat Ijaz ◽  
Mishal Shan Siddiqui ◽  
Saad Khalid ◽  
...  

A wide range of antimicrobial agents were touted as potential remedies during the COVID-19 pandemic. While both developed and developing countries have recorded an increase in the use of antimicrobial drugs, use and misuse have occurred to a far greater degree in developing countries. This can have deleterious consequences on antimicrobial resistance, especially when various developing countries have already reported the emergence of various drug-resistant organisms even before the pandemic. Telemedicine services, societal and cultural pressures, and bacterial co-infections can predispose to overwhelming antimicrobial prescriptions. The emergence of new multidrug resistance species is a major concern for the developing world especially since health services are already overburdened and lack the diagnostic capabilities and basic amenities for infection prevention and control. This can lead to outbreaks and the rampant spread of such microorganisms. Improper waste management and disposal from hospitals and communities establish freshwater runoffs as hubs of various microorganisms that can predispose to the rise of multidrug-resistant species. Microplastics' ability to act as vectors for antibioticresistant organisms is also particularly concerning for lower-middle-income countries. In this review, we aim to study the impact of antimicrobial use during the COVID-19 pandemic and antimicrobial resistance in lower middle-income countries, by understanding various determinants of resistance unique to the developing world and exploring solutions to combat the problem.

Antibiotics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 497
Author(s):  
Massimo Sartelli ◽  
Timothy C. Hardcastle ◽  
Fausto Catena ◽  
Alain Chichom-Mefire ◽  
Federico Coccolini ◽  
...  

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a phenomenon resulting from the natural evolution of microbes. Nonetheless, human activities accelerate the pace at which microorganisms develop and spread resistance. AMR is a complex and multidimensional problem, threatening not only human and animal health, but also regional, national, and global security, and the economy. Inappropriate use of antibiotics, and poor infection prevention and control strategies are contributing to the emergence and dissemination of AMR. All healthcare providers play an important role in preventing the occurrence and spread of AMR. The organization of healthcare systems, availability of diagnostic testing and appropriate antibiotics, infection prevention and control practices, along with prescribing practices (such as over-the-counter availability of antibiotics) differs markedly between high-income countries and low and middle-income countries (LMICs). These differences may affect the implementation of antibiotic prescribing practices in these settings. The strategy to reduce the global burden of AMR includes, among other aspects, an in-depth modification of the use of existing and future antibiotics in all aspects of medical practice. The Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery has instituted an interdisciplinary working group including healthcare professionals from different countries with different backgrounds to assess the need for implementing education and increasing awareness about correct antibiotic prescribing practices across the surgical pathways. This article discusses aspects specific to LMICs, where pre-existing factors make surgeons’ compliance with best practices even more important.


Author(s):  
Suji Lee ◽  
Kavyasree Chintalapudi ◽  
Abraham K. Badu-Tawiah

Early disease diagnosis is necessary to enable timely interventions. Implementation of this vital task in the developing world is challenging owing to limited resources. Diagnostic approaches developed for resource-limited settings have often involved colorimetric tests (based on immunoassays) due to their low cost. Unfortunately, the performance/sensitivity of such simplistic tests are often limited and significantly hinder opportunities for early disease detection. A new criterion for selecting diagnostic tests in low- and middle-income countries is proposed here that is based on performance-to-cost ratio. For example, modern mass spectrometry (MS) now involves analysis of the native sample in the open laboratory environment, enabling applications in many fields, including clinical research, forensic science, environmental analysis, and agriculture. In this critical review, we summarize recent developments in chemistry that enable MS to be applied effectively in developing countries. In particular, we argue that closed automated analytical systems may not offer the analytical flexibility needed in resource-limited settings. Alternative strategies proposed here have potential to be widely accepted in low- and middle-income countries through the utilization of the open-source ambient MS platform that enables microsampling techniques such as dried blood spot to be coupled with miniature mass spectrometers in a centralized analytical platform. Consequently, costs associated with sample handling and maintenance can be reduced by >50% of the total ownership cost, permitting analytical measurements to be operated at high performance-to-cost ratios in the developing world. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Analytical Chemistry, Volume 14 is August 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.


Author(s):  
Louise Ackers ◽  
Gavin Ackers-Johnson ◽  
Joanne Welsh ◽  
Daniel Kibombo ◽  
Samuel Opio

AbstractThis chapter describes the threat to global health and security caused by the growing resistance of infectious organisms to antibiotics or antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Growing global connectivity ensures that AMR is a threat to us all wherever we are and with specific impacts on Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). The chapter outlines international responses to AMR including the Global Action Plan and the impact this has had on one LMIC; Uganda. It then introduces a recent UK funding call focused on improving the management of antibiotics or ‘Antimicrobial Stewardship’.


Author(s):  
Patrick D. Evers ◽  
Paul J. Critser ◽  
Michelle Cash ◽  
Melissa Magness ◽  
Susan Hoelle ◽  
...  

Objective While advanced therapies for severe persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) such as inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are standard treatments in high-income countries, these therapies are often unavailable in resource-limited settings such as middle-income countries. However, there are small clinical trials illustrating the efficacy of sildenafil at reducing mortality in PPHN. This analysis sought to determine the cost-utility of enteral sildenafil for the treatment of severe PPHN. Study Design A Markov-state transition model was constructed for the two clinical approaches to compare costs, clinical outcomes, and quality of life: (1) “conventional,” (2) “sildenafil.” The impact of sildenafil was modeled as a relative risk modifier of the conventional strategy's mortality risk. Transitional probabilities, costs, and utility metrics were extracted from the literature. Sensitivity analyses for each model input as well as 100-patient Monte Carlo simulations were used to test the durability of the model conclusion. Results The sildenafil strategy was cost-effective for upper but not lower middle-income countries with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $2,339 per quality-adjusted life year. This conclusion was durable across a wide-range of model assumptions; the sildenafil strategy only failed to meet criteria for cost-effectiveness when sildenafil therapy had a mortality relative risk efficacy of >0.89, if life expectancy in that country is <40 years, or if the lifetime forecasted costs of a survivor's life was quite high. Conclusion Enteral sildenafil is a cost-effective intervention for severe PPHN for upper middle-income countries where ECMO and iNO are not available. Key Points


2021 ◽  
pp. 001946622110238
Author(s):  
Sukti Dasgupta ◽  
Mauricio Dierckxsens ◽  
Sher Verick

Coming on top of long-term employment challenges, the COVID-19 crisis has severely impacted economies around the world. Due to the nature of their labour markets, middle-income countries (MICs), including India, have experienced greater employment declines than advanced economies. Some sectors have been hit harder than others, while certain groups—including women, youth, migrants and those in the informal economy—have felt the brunt of the crisis even more strongly. The crisis has raised unemployment and, even more, has also pushed many out of the labour force, raising inactivity. Overall, the crisis has exacerbated existing inequalities in countries and across countries. The major challenge for MICs is to finance the continuing efforts to battle the crisis while shifting to a job-rich and inclusive recovery. Key lessons have already emerged, which are relevant for India and other developing countries, including the importance of building a more resilient and inclusive labour market through strong institutions and policies. JEL Codes: E24, E60, G01, J08, J60


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-341
Author(s):  
Muhammad Umar ◽  
Imran Sharif Chaudhry ◽  
Muhammad Faheem ◽  
Fatima Farooq

This study aims to explore the impact of governance, foreign direct investment and human capital on trade liberalization in developing countries (lower income, middle income and upper middle income). The study employed fixed effect for the period of 2000 to 2019. Results show governance, foreign direct investment and human capital are highly significant with trade liberalization in the case of lower-income countries. In the case of middle-income countries, empirical findings demonstrate governance and foreign direct investment are highly significant with a negative sign, while human capital has positive on trade liberalization. In the case of upper-middle-income countries, results show human capital and foreign direct investment affect positively, while governance has a negative effect on trade liberalization. On the behalf of results it is suggested that in the countries where human capital is high, most of the inflows of foreign direct investment happen. It means that the government can develop human resources to attract more foreign direct investments. The governments of developing countries should also concentrate on education, including training facilities and other quality educational facilities for human skill development.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 297-322
Author(s):  
Marhamah Mohd Rafidi ◽  
◽  
Jamaliah Said ◽  
Naila Erum ◽  
Farha Abdol Ghapar ◽  
...  

This study presents the effect of political and social globalisation on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow in developing countries. The eminence of decomposed globalisation element in the FDI area is argued here. New insights into empirical evidence are offered by dropping economic globalisation as one of the decomposed components. A panel data of 42 developing countries from 1984 until 2016 was used by applying the CSARDL approach. The study is also on the impact of political and social globalisation in developing countries by splitting them into two income stratification: Upper Middle-income Countries and Lower Middle-Income Countries by incorporating financial development as a moderating variable. It documents that political globalisation postulates a U-shaped relationship after addressing the Cross-Sectional Dependence (CD) problem, while social globalisation reverses the U-shaped relationship. It was found that political globalisation and social globalisation are conditional to the level of income rather than the overall developing countries’ stream. Besides, the prominent role of financial development in promoting FDI inflow, especially to income level, was observed. We suggest that developing countries should increase the capacity to absorb political and social globalisation in promoting FDI. Keywords: FDI inflow, globalisation, political globalisation, social globalisation, financial development, CS-ARDL


Author(s):  
Yasmin Bani

This study attempts to tackle the inequality and globalization issue by departing from the usual convention and studying the effect of globalization on another distribution, which is the distribution of human capital. We would like to investigate whether globalization helps to alleviate or worsen inequality in education and benefit everyone in the observed population in the same way in terms of education. Moreover, we would also like to analyze whether the benefit or loss experienced by countries differ across the level of development. Our focus is on the impact of the composite index of globalization as well as its three different dimensions on education inequality. The study shows that the developing countries (low and middle-income countries) do not necessarily benefit from globalization, which clearly contradicts the standard trade theory. This is because we observe the existence of variation of effects within the developing countries itself. Globalization narrows the education gap in low-income countries but it widens the gap in middle-income countries. Additionally, the study also show the importance of social and political globalization, which is often ignored in existing literature. The results are robust to different measures of globalization, exclusion of countries from different regions and inclusion of several control variables.Keywords: Globalization; Human Capital Inequality; System GMM.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 648-666
Author(s):  
Francis Notzon

In recent years, interest in breast-feeding and infant-supplementation practices in the developing world has been growing. Numerous community, regional, and national studies have described the patterns of breast-feeding and, to a lesser extent, of supplementation in a wide range of low-income countries. Nevertheless, adequate documentation of national trends in breast-feeding is available for only a small number of developing countries, and trends in supplementation remain to be described. The apparent decline in breast-feeding in the developing world has been the subject of numerous articles describing the impact of this trend on infant morbidity and mortality, fertility levels, and family finances. Frequently, the examples used to illustrate the decrease in breast-feeding are methedologically flawed; they use nonrepresentative or noncomparable samples, for example, or make implicit assumptions about past breast-feeding practices. In spite of such shortcomings, the consistent reports of important declines appear to indicate that some basic changes are taking place in breast-feeding practices in certain areas of the developing world. The fact that these changes seem to be following the general pattern of breast-feeding decline that occurred at earlier times in developed countries adds to their plausibility. Although a general awareness of changes in lactation in the developing world now prevails, the documentation of this trend is far from complete. Even for those countries in which trends have been appropriately measured, the amount and pattern of change may vary widely from country to country. In most of the countries with information on breast-feeding trends, recent declines have occurred, although the decreases range from sharp to moderate.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-137
Author(s):  
Md Nasir Uddin ◽  
Badrul Alam ◽  
SK Shaheenur Islam ◽  
Mohammad Arif ◽  
Md Mahbubul Alam ◽  
...  

The occurrence of COVID-19 which causes severe acute respiratory infection has produced a large global outbreak with major public health concern. Since Chinese wet market (LBM) has been blamed to be linked with this global pandemic of COVID-19 as the noble virus has supposed to be transmitted from a wild species, however, this is not yet established the association of SARS-Cov-2 transmission via animal to human or food chain. Moreover, it has been recognized to spread human-to-human transmission by inhalation of droplets or direct contact. Besides the devastating effects of SARS-Cov-2, world has been experiencing the impact of food safety and security as the effect due to global lockdown resulting a wide range of new challenges of economic growth and societal burden. In this review, we have focused on effect of corona virus on food system that included food safety, food security during lockdown, and prevention and control options have been emphasized to keep normalcy of livelihood of general people in low and middle income countries (LMICs). Since the global economy has been downed deeper into a financial crunch, the government efforts are underway to bolster up the priorities with the limited resources, and further funding allocation decision is obligatory for the targeted communities those are affected most due to the swath of pandemic threat of COVID-19. Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. June 2020, 6(2): 130-137


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document