WHO urges countries to take measures to combat antimicrobial resistance
Be alert to antimicrobial resistance
20 AUGUST 2010 | GENEVA — Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – the ability of micro-organisms to find ways to evade the action of the drugs used to cure the infections they cause – is increasingly recognised as a global public health issue which could hamper the control of many infectious diseases. Some bacteria have developed mechanisms which render them resistant to many of the antibiotics normally used for their treatment (multi-drug resistant bacteria), so pose particular difficulties, as there may be few or no alternative options for therapy. They constitute a growing and global public health problem. WHO suggests that countries should be prepared to implement hospital infection control measures to limit the spread of multi-drug resistant strains and to reinforce national policy on prudent use of antibiotics, reducing the generation of antibiotic resistant bacteria.
To read full story please go to http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2010/amr_20100820/en/index.html
