The O'Neill Report: a review on antimicrobial resistance

An influential report sponsored by the British Government and assembled by Lord Jim O’Neill suggests that the scourge of antimicrobial resistance can be effectively tackled. By launching targeted public awareness campaigns about the proper use of antibiotics, reducing the intake of antibiotics by livestock and humans, and simultaneously increasing the number of antibiotics available on the shelves, the O’Neill report concludes that combating antimicrobial resistance is not just possible, but also affordable. While the economic cost of antimicrobial resistance is predicted to be $100 trillion a year by 2050, the cost of action against rising resistance is estimated to be a much more modest $40 billion dollars a decade. Furthermore, the report provides accompanying recommendations to reduce resistance that include prohibiting the use of antibiotics that are vital to humans in livestock, carefully surveying the administration of drugs in developing countries, improving sanitation and hygiene to reduce risk of infection and disease, using rapid and specific diagnostic techniques to distinguish between bacterial infections and other infections, administrating vaccines and other alternatives to antibiotics, and forming an international coalition for action and a global innovation fund.

TACKLING DRUG-RESISTANT
INFECTIONS GLOBALLY:
FINAL REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
THE REVIEW ON ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE

Read the full report