For 70 years the world has mismanaged the common good of antibiotics. The result is a growing global burden of antibiotic resistance, threatening to take health care back to an era where ordinary infections might once again become fatal.
At a historic three day conference at Uppsala University, Sweden, 190 delegates representing 45 countries and many leading stake holders – civil society, academia, industry, governments, authorities, supranational organizations – agreed on Wednesday to turn a new page and move towards concerted action on antibiotic resistance.
"This is a starting point for a global compact on antibiotic resistance", says Professor Otto Cars, chairman of ReAct, the international network for Action on Antibiotic Resistance.
The new signals from the Uppsala meeting include:
The year 2011 marks a new beginning. ReAct is pleased to note that the World Health Day will be devoted to antimicrobial resistance. Other initiatives across the world next year include:
A more detailed report on meeting outcomes will be made available shortly on www.reactgroup.org .
For more information or inquiries of interviews, please contact Peter Lundström of ReAct at +46 (0) 70-937 15 35, or Peter.Lundstrom@medsci.uu.se .