Commentary
Access to antibiotics: a safety and equity challenge for the next decade
1 World Alliance Against Antibiotic Resistance (WAAR), 9 rue de la Terrasse, 94000 Creteil, France
2 Hôpital St Joseph, 185 rue Raymond Losserand, 75014, Paris, France
3 Infection Control Programme and WHO Collaboration Centre on Patient Safety, University of Geneva Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, 4 Rue Gabrielle Perret-Gentil, Geneva, Switzerland
Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control 2013, 2:1 doi:10.1186/2047-2994-2-1
Published: 10 January 2013Abstract
Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is increasing worldwide in healthcare settings and in the community. Some microbial pathogens have become resistant to multiple antibiotics, if not all presently available, thus severely compromising treatment success and contributing to enhanced morbidity, mortality, and resource use. The major driver of resistance is misuse of antibiotics in both human and non-human medicine. Both enhanced access and restricted use in many parts of the world is mandatory. There is an urgent need for an international, integrated, multi-level action to preserve antibiotics in the armamentarium of the 21st century and address the global issue of antimicrobial resistance.
