World leaders declare target of 10% reduction in superbug deaths by 2030
World leaders have committed to reducing deaths from superbugs with 10% before the end of the decade.
The 2030 target, set at a meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York, came amid warnings that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could undo a century of medical progress.
AMR, in which pathogens such as bacteria evolve to become ineffective against existing drugs, is linked to 4.7 million deaths per year, with the toll expected to rise to 8.2 million per year by 2050, according to current projections.
The new political declaration on AMR, signed by 193 Member States, calls for larger-scale action in sectors such as agriculture, pharmaceutical production, environmental protection and health care.
Shortly before it was made, Mia Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados who chairs the Group of world leaders on AMRdescribed the meeting as a “historic event” that was crucial for the protection of future generations.
“This is not a press conference for us, who are already a bit gray, but for the young people of the world. They are the ones who have to confront the potential threat of a century of medical progress being rolled back in what we call the silent, delayed pandemic,” she said.
She described the possibility of a world in which an infection caused by a scratch while gardening, during childbirth or from dental treatment could lead to death within days, due to a lack of effective antibiotics.
The declaration calls on the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Organisation for Animal Health and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization to establish an independent panel – similar to the one for climate change – to provide scientific evidence to support strategies against AMR. They will also update a global action plan on AMR by 2026.
It also calls for financial support for poorer countries where the problem is most acute. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said the statement was “a strong signal from countries that they are committed to tackling this global threat”.