The Global Security Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance
The fight against infectious diseases is headed backward, as once-beatable microbes become resistant to existing therapies. The massive economic and political repercussions of future epidemics suggests that the development of new treatments must be considered in the context of global security, not just public health.
SEATTLE – Today we are faced with the harsh reality that the treatment or prevention of infectious diseases has not made quantum advances since the early successes of vaccines and antimicrobial therapies. In a sense, the world is headed backward, as once-treatable microbes become resistant to existing therapies, and new infections for which there are no effective interventions continue to arise.