“South-South collaboration in tackling antimicrobial resistance in Asia”

“Agriculture and health experts from five southern Asian countries have pledged to work together to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to advance agricultural development and human health in the region.

This commitment was made during an international conference on ‘Intensifying Food Systems and Health: Emphasis on Antimicrobial Use in Agricultural Systems’ held 4-6 April 2018 in Jaipur, India. The meeting brought together over 50 experts from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Vietnam who discussed ways of strengthening long-term partnerships around intensifying food safety systems and health research.

Antimicrobial resistance — the ability of microorganisms to adapt to medications such as antibiotics, rendering them ineffective — is a key issue globally. Antibiotics efficiency has been drastically weakened, with the emergence of some bacteria resistance and resistant genes in non-clinical environments. Although countries in South and Southeast Asia have made considerable social and economic progress, a large proportion of their populations still live in poverty. Inadequate living standards contribute to spreading the resistant pathogens and genes.”

Source: ILRI Asia