ESCMID Policy Statement: Addressing the lack of availability of existing antibiotics

In line with World Antibiotic Awareness Week (18 - 24 November 2020), ESCMID has released a Policy Statement addressing the lack of availability of existing antibiotics, and how ESCMID can contribute to tackle this urgent unmet need.

Read the full Policy Statement here.

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ESCMID Parity Commission: call for one new member!

EUCAST Zoominar: EUCAST New definitions of S, I and R

EUCAST has arranged a series of web-based live updates and discussion forums. It is free and available to anyone with an interest in EUCAST guidelines and developments.

The next Zoominar day will take place on Friday, 20 November 2020 and is titled ”EUCAST New definitions of S, I and R” (and ATU if there is time).

Each of these will be one hour + 30 min Q&A, and each zoominar will be repeated at 8:00, 13:00 and 16:00 CET to try to fit around work-hours and time zones as much as possible.

Find the links for the Zoominars on the EUCAST website.

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ESCMID works with Global Cause on AMR campaign

ESCMID has recently worked with Global Cause on their 2020 Antimicrobial Resistance campaign.

A printed publication was enclosed within every copy of The Guardian and is available online.

The campaign featured exclusive content from key thought leaders such as ESCMID President Maurizio Sanguinetti, and discussed topics such as the importance of diagnostics.

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GARDP/WHO Live Webinar: 20 November 2020

Don’t miss the next GARDP live webinar, taking place on Friday, November 20, 2020 from 10:30 – 12:00 CET, in conjunction with WHO.

Join Hanan Balkhy (WHO), Manica Balasegaram (GARDP), Dhanya Dharmapalan (PIDS) and Borna Nyaoke (DNDi) as they discuss the treatment of neonatal sepsis.

The webinar is being held during the World Antibiotic Awareness Week on Universal Children’s Day. Sign up on the GARDP Website

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CMI highlight: Antibiotic use prior to seeking medical care in patients with persistent fever: a cross-sectional study in four low- and middle-income countries

Community-level antibiotic use contributes to antimicrobial resistance, but is rarely monitored as part of efforts to optimize antibiotic use in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). This study investigated antibiotic use in the 4 weeks before study inclusion for persistent fever.

The NIDIAG-Fever study investigated etiologies of infections in patients ≥5 years old with fever >1 week in six healthcare facilities in Cambodia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nepal, and Sudan. In the present nested cross-sectional study, we describe prevalence and choice of antibiotics before and at study inclusion, applying the Access/Watch/Reserve (AWaRe) classification of the WHO List of Essential Medicines. Factors associated with prior antibiotic use were analysed.

Of 1939 participants, 428 (22.1%) reported the prior use of ≥1 antibiotic, ranging from 6.3% (24/382, Cambodia) to 35.5% (207/583, Nepal). Of 545 reported antibiotics, most frequent were Watch group antibiotics (351/545, 64.4%), ranging from 23.6% (DRC)-82.1% (Nepal). Parenteral administration ranged from 5.9%-69.6% between study sites. Antibiotic use was most frequent among young patients (5-17 years; Risk ratio 1.42, 95%CI 1.19-1.71) and men (RR 1.29; 95%CI 1.09-1.53). No association was found with specific symptoms. Of 555 antibiotics started before, 275 (49.5%) were discontinued at study inclusion. Watch antibiotics were frequently used, and discontinued upon study inclusion.

The antibiotic use frequency and choice varied importantly between LMIC. Local antibiotic use data are essential to guide efforts to optimize antibiotic use in LMIC, should not be restricted to hospitals, and need to take local healthcare utilization into account.

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