Hyderabad is hosting a crucial Global South event focused on crafting strategies to prevent silent pandemics. The gathering brings together leaders, researchers, and health experts to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and other emerging global health threats, aiming to strengthen cooperation, enhance surveillance, and foster innovation in healthcare systems.
G-SPARC, a global health event, will be held in Hyderabad. Over 100 of the world’s leading experts will participate, to discuss and plan strategies to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
“Each of you, while talking with friends or family, has likely heard that a loved one has been admitted to the ICU, and the doctors have said they can’t do anything because none of the drugs are working. There’s sepsis that cannot be treated. I’m sure many of us have witnessed how such resistance is rendering all the available systems ineffective, both in our country and globally,” Dr Ranga Reddy Burri said.
Dr Ranga Reddy Burri, president of Hyderabad-based Infection Control Academy of India (ICFAI) and chairperson of the Global South Conference on Infection Prevention, Control, and Antimicrobial Stewardship (G-SPARC) addressed a press conference on Monday, 30 September to share a concern that needs urgent action, and not just from doctors.
“AMR, or Antimicrobial Resistance, is an acronym poorly understood by the general public. Simply put, AMR means that we have antibiotics, but they are no longer effective in treating even simple infections that you or your family might acquire. This is why it’s extremely important not to misuse antibiotics, as doing so can render them ineffective when they are most needed,” said Dr Burri.
He was briefing the media about G-SPARC, a global health event, which will be held in Hyderabad. Over 100 of the world’s leading experts will participate, to discuss and plan strategies to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
Preventing infection
The objective of the conference is to provide a platform for Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), and Patient Safety stakeholders from the Global South (resource-limited countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and South America) to collaborate on better policies, research, tailored solutions, and practices concerning IPC, AMS (Antimicrobial Stewardship), WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), and pandemic preparedness.
“This conference will focus on ways to help people better understand this issue in a simplified manner, so they can take responsibility and play a part in containing the problem of antimicrobial resistance,” said Dr Burri.
The three-day conference will be held at Shilpakala Vedika in Hitech City, Madhapur, from 3-5 October. Dr. Ranga Reddy Burri, along with R. Govind Hari, chairman of the Pragyaan Sustainable Health Outcomes Foundation (PRASHO) and co-chair of G-SPARC, offered the media a glimpse of the issues that those attending the event will discuss.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will be the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of this three-day conference; he is scheduled to launch the state’s AMR Plan. Once unveiled, Telangana will become the 7th state in India to have such a plan.
Some of the prominent speakers at the conference include Dr Anuj Sharma, WHO India Office; Prof Chedly Azzouz, chairperson, Infection Control Africa Network; Prof. (Dr.) Atul Goel, DGHS & Director, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC); Ms Shailaja Teacher, MLA and Former-Health Minister, Govt of Kerala
G-SPARC 2024 is organised by the Infection Control Academy of India (IFCAI), University of Hyderabad (UoH), and Pragyaan Sustainable Health Outcomes Foundation (PRASHO) with support from more than a hundred distinguished partners from academia, industry, healthcare organisations, and professional associations.
AMR: Unchecked, it could take a huge toll
Dr Burri compared Covid-19 with AMR. “If we were to juxtapose Covid-19 with antimicrobial resistance and the rising prevalence of healthcare-associated infections, Covid 19 pales in comparison. While one was a pandemic with a clear beginning and an end, the other is a slow pandemic, one that could last a very long time. The impact of AMR on human society, the environment, and other living beings is so profound that sometimes the scale of it overwhelms me. In terms of morbidity, mortality, and economic impact, AMR could be tens, if not hundreds of times more devastating than Covid-19.”
While the global death toll from Covid-19 was around 7 million, a huge number, with countless shattered families behind it, the invisible, slow pandemic of AMR is set to affect more than five million in the short term, leaving millions more invalid, the doctor said.
In 1928, when Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, it was hailed as a wonder drug. Over the years, numerous variations of these antimicrobials were developed, leaving people more confident about the ability to save lives from bacterial infection. Overuse and abuse of drugs, however, and the failure to treat common infections with the same antibiotics, has now led to a dangerous situation, less than 100 years later.
“As a practising doctor in the mid-1990s, when patients came to me with simple infections like pneumonia, I had a powerful arsenal of antibiotics that were more than 90% effective. I prescribed them freely, with great success, and won the gratitude of my patients. But today, when similar patients come to me, I struggle to treat even basic urinary tract infections with the same antibiotics. This change has occurred in just 30 years, despite the remarkable progress we’ve made in healthcare technologies, surgical procedures, and medical devices. We are still unable to solve this problem of antibiotic resistance,” said Dr Burri,
Going forward, the problem needs to be dealt with from multiple angles – no single set of rules can solve it, the doctor explained. AMR containment must become everyone’s responsibility; it is no longer the sole responsibility of doctors, veterinarians, agronomists, or pharmacists.
To protect the efficacy of antimicrobials for future generations, even patients must be made aware of the need to constrain the use of these drugs, the doctor explained.
The Global South and AMR
Why was the conference focused on the Global South?
“While antimicrobial resistance is a global issue, it is particularly severe in resource-constrained settings like Asia, Africa, the Middle East, South America, and parts of Eastern Europe. According to available statistics, about 70% of deaths caused by AMR occur in these regions. With limited surveillance, the actual numbers might be much higher,” Dr Burri explained.
There are peculiarities that mark out the Global South, since it operates with challenges of scarce resources and limited infrastructure. It is crucial to foster South-South collaboration to address the unique problems of these regions, since the more developed countries of the Global North may not be conversant with the unique challenges of the Global South.
“For example, when I am in the United States, UK, or Europe, where I lived for many years, I don’t have to think twice about sending a patient for diagnostic tests. But in India, it’s a different story. That is why South-South collaboration is so vital,” the doctor said.
The doctor warned that the situation is already dire in India — one out of every two infection treatments in India is failing due to resistance.
The UN resolution
The United Nations General Assembly’s high-level meeting in New York on September 26 (New York time, September 27, India time) has just concluded. This gathering brought forth the second-ever political declaration on a health topic — specifically focusing on antimicrobial resistance.
“What does this mean for us? This declaration represents a significant push in our fight against antimicrobial resistance. But as we all know, declarations and action plans alone are not enough,” Dr Burri said.
The political declaration sets a goal: To reduce deaths by 10% by 2030, with a commitment of approximately $100 million to help countries develop and fund National Action Plans.
“While $100 million is just a drop in the ocean and won’t be enough to combat such a formidable public health issue like antimicrobial resistance, it at least shows political will from the countries involved, which is commendable,” the doctor said.
However, he said that governments alone cannot shoulder the responsibility of tackling this global issue. Civil society, doctors, nurses, agronomists, and other stakeholders must come together, along with the general public, to support these initiatives, he said.
“Nothing is impossible. We’ve eradicated diseases like smallpox and polio in India, though polio remains a challenge in a few countries. Through concerted efforts, we’ve overcome significant health challenges and can do the same for AMR,” the doctor said. #hydkhabar
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