#SquashSuperbugs Calls for Action Now on Antimicrobial Resistance
March 17, 2021 (Washington, D.C.) As we mark one-year of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the widespread impact of infectious disease has become all too clear. While discussions around infectious disease have advanced considering the current pandemic, critical steps are needed to prepare for future pandemics. The Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease (PFID) is working to motivate action on ending one such threat: Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). On Thursday, March 18, PFID is asking all stakeholders in both the public and private sector to join them by raising awareness and calling for action to #SquashSuperbugs.
Antibiotics play a critical role in the functioning of our health care system. They make a significant portion of common medical procedures possible, like organ transplants, joint replacements, and cesarean sections, and are essential for preventing sepsis and meeting the needs of people living with chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, and others.
Unfortunately, resistance to the antibiotics we have today is increasing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2.8 million Americans annually already experience antibiotic resistant infections, meaning on average, someone in the United States gets an antibiotic resistant infection every 11 seconds. The CDC has also reported increased resistance due to secondary bacterial and fungal infections in clinical care settings, particularly during COVID-19. If we are to once again get ahead of antibiotic resistance, we need policymakers to act.
“Antibiotic resistant infections are more common than most realize, and to protect ourselves against related pandemic threats in the future, action now is an absolute imperative,” urged PFID Advisor Ken Thorpe. “The deficit we are operating under with existing antibiotic treatments will not contain the growing threats, and unless we take action now to motivate innovation and support development for an effective, quality pipeline of antibiotic treatments into the future, we could find ourselves in a very grave place with our ability to fight infection.”
Thursday, March 18 is a day of action to raise awareness of the need to #SquashSuperbugs so we can all do our part to prepare and perhaps even prevent a future pandemic due to antibiotic resistance. For more information about the Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease, visit www.fightinfectiousdisease.org, on Twitter @ThePFID and LinkedIn.
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The Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease is a group of patients, providers, community organizations, academic researchers, business and labor groups, and infectious disease experts working to raise awareness of threats posed by infectious disease, as well as advance solutions to ensure future pandemic preparedness.