Pharmacy Daily | Curb a ‘silent pandemic’ says CSIRO

AUSTRALIA is seeing a growing 'silent pandemic' of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), when bacteria and other microbes become resistant to the drugs designed to kill them, such as antibiotics, usually from misuse or overuse.

Released this week the report, Curbing antimicrobial resistance: a technology-powered, human-driven approach to combating the 'silent pandemic', calls for greater national coordination and a focus on streamlining commercialisation processes for new antimicrobial resistance solutions and technologies.

It was developed by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and initiated by CSIRO, Australia's national science agency.

Dr Branwen Morgan, Lead of CSIRO's Minimising Antimicrobial Resistance Mission, said AMR was recently designated one of the top 10 public health threats facing humanity by the World Health Organization.

"AMR could render some of the most critical antimicrobial drugs ineffective, undermining modern medicine and making us vulnerable to drug-resistant infections," Morgan said.

"It is responsible for over 1.27m deaths globally each year and the number is rising.

"In Australia, modelling suggests AMR could be responsible for over 5,000 deaths annually.

"This report calls out the key challenges and opportunities for Australia to improve how we prevent, detect, diagnose and respond to drug-resistant infections and reduce the impacts of AMR," Morgan said.

The report drew on the expertise of over 100 multidisciplinary experts and looked at a range of impactful technologies such as integrated surveillance and sensing solutions, point-of-care diagnostics, antimicrobial surfaces, and air sterilisation and vaccination technologies.

Specific examples included surface sprays that change colour when pathogens are present and toilets that detect and disarm harmful microbes before they reach our waterways.

Learn more HERE.