The network Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock and SLU Global hosted on 17 November a very timely webinar on the theme Antimicrobials in Low-income Countries back-to-back to the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2020. The event attracted nearly 250 participants from all over the world.
The emergence of antimicrobial resistance is a true “One health, One world” challenge. However, the challenges as well as the actions to be taken for fighting the emergence vary a lot over the world. SLU Global hosted a webinar on 17 November targeting antimicrobial resistance in the livestock sector in low-income countries with internationally renowned experts.
Several presentations pointed out weak regulatory frameworks or lack of resources to enforce regulations as challenges for curbing AMR in low-income countries. Therefor other means and incentives were also discussed; the World Bank presented projections of the extremely high economic cost of an uncontained AMR emergence in contrast to the substantial economic benefits, and returns, in containing AMR.
Another, very illustrative, presentation from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) explored concepts in modern behavioral sciences to be used for changing our use of antibiotics.
The webinar provided several possible ways towards a more medically rational and responsible use of antimicrobials in the livestock sector in low-income countries.
LAMP is an action network within the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock, which is a partnership that brings together different stakeholders in the livestock sector to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
Ulf Magnusson, Professor at the Department of Clinical Sciences; Division of Reproduction
ulf.magnusson@slu.se, +46 (0)18-672324