World Health Day-Drug Resistance

Independent Films, Travel, Health

Drug resistant diseases have come to be recognized as so great a threat that for this year's World Health Day, the WHO - World Health Organization - has opted to highlight the problem.

n World Health Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that drug resistance is becoming more severe and many infections are no longer easily cured, leading to prolonged and expensive treatment and greater risk of death.

Commemorating the Day under the theme "Combat Drug Resistance," WHO called for urgent and concerted action by governments, health professionals, industry and civil society and patients to slow down the spread of drug resistance, limit its impact today and preserve medical advances for future generations.

The discovery and use of antimicrobial drugs to treat diseases such as leprosy, tuberculosis, gonorrhea and syphilis changed the course of medical and human history. Now, those discoveries and the generations of drugs that followed them are at risk, as high levels of drug resistance threaten their effectiveness.

Dr. Hiroki Nakatani, who deals with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected Tropical Diseases at WHO, said that until the discovery and availability of antimicrobials in the 1940s, people dies needlessly from infectious diseases.

He added that, today, however the effectiveness of antimicrobials “is under threat.”

Last year, at least 440,000 new cases of multi-drug resistant-tuberculosis were detected and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis has been reported in 69 countries to date. The malaria parasite is acquiring resistance to even the latest generation of medicines, and resistant strains causing gonorrhea and shigella are limiting treatment options.

Serious infections acquired in hospitals can become fatal because they are so difficult to treat and drug-resistant strains of microorganism are spread from one geographical location to another in today's interconnected and globalized world.

Dr. Mario Raviglione, head of WHO’s Stop TB Department estimated that in the European Union alone some 25,000 deaths are caused by five organisms “that cause bacterial infections in hospital for instance.”

Although governments need to take the lead and develop national policies to combat drug resistance, health professionals, civil society and other groups can also make important contributions. For example, doctors and pharmacists can prescribe and dispense only the drugs that are required to treat a patient, rather than automatically giving either the newest or best-known medicines. Patients can stop demanding that doctors give them antibiotics when they may not be appropriate. Health professionals can help rapidly reduce the spread of infection in health care facilities.

According to Dr. Keiji Fukuda, Director of Health and Environment at WHO, “the problem is never going to go away” unless all stakeholders “step up to the plate and get actions underway.”
He explained that the solution lies in sustained changes and behaviours as well as in incentives “so that the emergence and the spread and this kind of issue is kept at a pace where we can detect it.”

WHO urged governments and partners need to work closely with industry to encourage greater investment in research and development of new diagnostics that can help improve decision making as well as drugs to replace those that are being lost to resistance.

Today, less than five per cent of products in the research and development pipeline are antibiotic drugs. Innovative incentive schemes are needed to stimulate industry to research and develop new antimicrobial drugs for the future.

Transcripts / Production notes / Scripts

Dr. Hiroki Nakatani, Assistant Director-General - HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases:
“In general most of us have longer and healthier lives today, partially because powerful and effective medicines are available to treat infectious diseases. Until the discovery and availability of antimicrobials in the 1940s people dies needlessly from infectious diseases. Today none of us can imagine living in world without antimicrobials but today their effectiveness is under threat.”

FILE - WHO - MARCH 2010, WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA

5. Wide shot, nurse dispensing medicine to TB patient
6. Various shots, young TB patient with MDR-TB (multi-drug resistant) with doctor

DATE UNKNOWN, LATVIA

7. Various shots, hospital wards with TB patients

5 APRIL 2011, GENEVA, SWTIZERLAND

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Mario Raviglione, Director of the Stop TB Department, World Health Organization:
“We have estimate for instance in the EU of some 25 thousand deaths caused by only 5 organisms, probably the most important, that cause bacterial infections in hospital for instance.”

FILE – MAY 2008, SAN SALVADOR, EL SALVADOR

9. Med shot, Nurse and woman patient explaining drug use
10. Close up, hands holding drugs

5 APRIL 2011, GENEVA, SWTIZERLAND

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Keiji Fukuda, Assistant Director-General - Health Security and Environment:
“The problem is never going to go away. This development of resistance is simply something that microbes and viruses and bacteria do, it is their part of their being as long as they are around they will have the ability to develop resistance. The most important issue is how long will it take to step up to the plate and get actions underway.”

27 JUNE 2008, HAIN LIFESCIENCE, GERMANY

16. Various shots, laboratory worker carrying out preparations for MDR-TB using the new molecular line probe assay test

5 APRIL 2011, GENEVA, SWTIZERLAND

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Keiji Fukuda, Assistant Director-General, Health Security and Environment, World Health Organization:
“The solution lies in sustained changes and behaviours and in incentives so that the emergence and the spread and this kind of issue is kept at a pace where we can detect it, where can take effective action and where we can keep abreast of it.”

STORYLINE:

On World Health Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that drug resistance is becoming more severe and many infections are no longer easily cured, leading to prolonged and expensive treatment and greater risk of death.

Commemorating the Day under the theme "Combat Drug Resistance," WHO called for urgent and concerted action by governments, health professionals, industry and civil society and patients to slow down the spread of drug resistance, limit its impact today and preserve medical advances for future generations.

The discovery and use of antimicrobial drugs to treat diseases such as leprosy, tuberculosis, gonorrhea and syphilis changed the course of medical and human history. Now, those discoveries and the generations of drugs that followed them are at risk, as high levels of drug resistance threaten their effectiveness.

Dr. Hiroki Nakatani, who deals with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected Tropical Diseases at WHO, said that until the discovery and availability of antimicrobials in the 1940s, people dies needlessly from infectious diseases.

He added that, today, however the effectiveness of antimicrobials “is under threat.”

Last year, at least 440,000 new cases of multi-drug resistant-tuberculosis were detected and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis has been reported in 69 countries to date. The malaria parasite is acquiring resistance to even the latest generation of medicines, and resistant strains causing gonorrhea and shigella are limiting treatment options.

Serious infections acquired in hospitals can become fatal because they are so difficult to treat and drug-resistant strains of microorganism are spread from one geographical location to another in today's interconnected and globalized world.

Dr. Mario Raviglione, head of WHO’s Stop TB Department estimated that in the European Union alone some 25,000 deaths are caused by five organisms “that cause bacterial infections in hospital for instance.”

Although governments need to take the lead and develop national policies to combat drug resistance, health professionals, civil society and other groups can also make important contributions. For example, doctors and pharmacists can prescribe and dispense only the drugs that are required to treat a patient, rather than automatically giving either the newest or best-known medicines. Patients can stop demanding that doctors give them antibiotics when they may not be appropriate. Health professionals can help rapidly reduce the spread of infection in health care facilities.

According to Dr. Keiji Fukuda, Director of Health and Environment at WHO, “the problem is never going to go away” unless all stakeholders “step up to the plate and get actions underway.”
He explained that the solution lies in sustained changes and behaviours as well as in incentives “so that the emergence and the spread and this kind of issue is kept at a pace where we can detect it.”

WHO urged governments and partners need to work closely with industry to encourage greater investment in research and development of new diagnostics that can help improve decision making as well as drugs to replace those that are being lost to resistance.

Today, less than five per cent of products in the research and development pipeline are antibiotic drugs. Innovative incentive schemes are needed to stimulate industry to research and develop new antimicrobial drugs for the future.

Directors:

• Mo Sacirbey UNTV-WHO

Producers:

• Susan Sacirbey