E-DRUG: (Dutch) Ministerial conference: global fight against antibiotic resistance accelerated
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News item in DUTCH language - translation by GOOGLE | 19-06-2019 | 17:30 //
The Netherlands encourages countries to work more intensively in combating antibiotic resistance. The Netherlands is going to work closely with Indonesia. The foundation also contributes to the fight against antibiotic resistance. These are some of the results of an international ministerial conference on antibiotic resistance dying in Noordwijk held on 19 and 20 June. In Noordwijk, more than 200 representatives from around 40 countries and representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), World Animal Welfare Organization (OIE), World Food Organization (FAO), EU, OECD and the World Bank gathered to run from antibiotic resistance (AMR). AMR is a global problem and claims hundreds of thousands of economic victims. By using antibiotics incorrectly and effectively, pathogenic bacteria can become resistant more quickly and can get a simple infection.
From paper to practice
Five years ago, the Netherlands organized the first ministerial conference on this subject, and partly as a result of this countries around the world have developed plans to tackle AMR. The conference that is currently taking place should bring the participating countries closer together and ensure that the plans are put into practice.
Minister Bruno Bruins (Medical Care and Sport): "Countering antibiotic resistance is basically a matter of adjusting people's behavior. And by that I don't mean to wash my hands once more, but to prescribe antibiotics less often and quickly, and to adjust methods so that spreading is less likely.
'If we do that as the Netherlands alone, then it makes little sense. Because bacteria simply travel with you in the holiday plane. That is why I think it is important to keep the AMR topic high on the international political agenda. There are beautiful plans, and now it comes to implementation. The Netherlands is in the leading group worldwide and I would like to see more countries joining in with this. That is the purpose of this conference. I am convinced that together we can combat this major problem. That is why, in addition to knowledge, the Netherlands also contributes to the development of new antibiotics and the money goes into an international fund to support other countries in their AMR approach. And then it is now a matter of working together. "
Minister Carola Schouten (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality):
"Unfortunately, bacteria do not adhere to limits. By joining forces from all over the world and sharing knowledge, we help each other in the fight against AMR. Because there are still steps to be taken in the field of antibiotic use in animal husbandry. This conference is a great opportunity to talk to each other and to learn from each other. "
The Netherlands-Indonesia
The Netherlands will at least start working more intensively with Indonesia, as the ministers concerned agreed at the conference. With effective infection prevention programs, for example, the Netherlands has in-house knowledge about how to reduce improper use of antibiotics. The Netherlands is also ahead in the cooperation between the human and veterinary health sectors. The Netherlands will exchange best practices and knowledge with Indonesia in particular in the coming years.
International fund
To support countries - especially those with low and middle incomes - in shaping AMR policies, the WHO, FAO and OIE launched a Multi-Partner Trust Fund during the conference. Funds from this fund can be used for, for example, surveillance systems, programs for the proper use of antibiotics and the development of joint programs for both the human and veterinary health sectors. The Netherlands will make approximately 4.5 million euros (5 million dollars) available for the start-up of this fund.
New antibiotics
To prevent resistance, it is important that new antibiotics come on the market. The earnings model of this is often of no interest to pharmacists - high development costs, relatively low returns - so that healthcare providers have to rely on frequent prescriptions of ineffective antibiotics variants. The Netherlands is therefore investing a total of 5 million euros in the development of new antibiotics in the coming five years. This is done under the flag of the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), an international partnership that falls under the WHO.
Livestock farming
Recent research from Wageningen University & Research shows that reducing antibiotics has no negative effect on average production and economic results. The international cost competitiveness of Dutch broiler and pig farms is also not impeded by the reduction in the use of antibiotics. The conference will also discuss the results of the research and the possibilities for reducing the use of antibiotics.
from
drs. Lucas F.M. van der Hoeven
The Netherlands
lucas@cbsm.nl