For World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) 2022, we speak to Junxia Song, FAO Senior Animal Health Officer, in regards to the impact antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is having on animal health.

Please are you able to introduce yourself and tell us about your role on the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO)?

My name is Junxia Song. I currently work on the Joint Centre for Zoonotic Diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance at FAO headquarters.

As FAO AMR Focal Point and Head of Unit, I lead the event and implementation of the FAO Motion Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2021 – 2025, coordinate AMR activities with internal and external partners, and contribute significantly to the Quadripartite collaboration (FAO, UNEP, WHO and WOAH). I also coordinate endemic zoonoses (rabies, brucellosis, zoonotic TB, etc.) on the Centre.

Because the senior animal health officer for the FAO, what do you personally consider to be a few of the biggest threats to animal health in today’s world?

Antimicrobials are one in all farming’s most vital tools for treating infections. Without them, food production will decline. This implies less income for households in a vulnerable situation and reduced food security and nutrition. Misuse and overuse of antimicrobial drugs in human medicine, veterinary medicine, and food production have put our future in danger.

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites not reply to antimicrobial agents. Consequently of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents turn out to be ineffective, and infections turn out to be difficult or unattainable to treat, increasing the danger of disease spread, severe illness, and death.

The findings of the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance study show that drug-resistant bacterial infections contributed to almost five million human deaths in 2019, making AMR a number one explanation for death globally. If motion will not be taken soon to slow the spread of antimicrobial resistance, increasingly of the life-saving medicines we depend on to maintain our families, animals, and plants healthy will not work. This might drive thousands and thousands more people into extreme poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.

Good husbandry practices, biosecurity, sanitation, hygiene, vaccination, and other infection prevention measures are essential to scale back the necessity for antimicrobials in animals and antimicrobial pesticides in plants.

Image Credit: Jarun Ontakrai/Shutterstock.com

The World Health Organization has described antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as being one in all the highest ten threats to humanity. Despite this, the widespread effects of AMR usually are not publicly understood. In addition to its detrimental impact on human health, what effects is AMR having on each animals and the environment?

• AMR is a silent pandemic that has been spreading for many years and was linked to just about 5 million human deaths worldwide in 2019. Projections for 2050 suggest that drug-resistant infections may very well be among the many leading causes of death, together with pandemics, heart problems, and cancer, if we don’t act now.
• Nonetheless, the food and agriculture sectors have a vital role on this global fight against AMR. Antimicrobial use (AMU) is one in all the most important drivers for AMR. AMU for livestock is anticipated to proceed increasing to maintain pace with the growing human demand for animal products. Because the advent of antimicrobials, resistant organisms in livestock have increased exponentially, including in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
• The increasing trend in AMR and the emergence of recent antimicrobial resistance determinants and genes in terrestrial and aquatic animal production is of concern to producers and human patients, as a fraction of all human drug-resistant infections are also related to foodborne or animal sources. AMR from animals reaches humans through many modes of transmission, and once a person becomes a carrier, AMR spreads rapidly inside and between communities. Transmission can begin on the farm level after which be carried by animals into the food chain. Resistant organisms may also be introduced during food products’ handling, processing, transport, storage, and preparation. AMR may also reach the overall population by passing from human and agricultural sources into the environment and into wildlife populations. Humans could be exposed to contaminated water, soil, and agricultural products.
• Along with the general public health issue, there may be also a big dimension to the AMR problem related to the potential ability of AMR to threaten global food security, economies, food systems, and livelihoods.
  • Food security: AMR also undermines veterinary medicine, compromising animal production and destabilizes food security. The World Bank has already projected that livestock production in low-income countries could decline by 11 percent by 2050 attributable to AMR. http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/323311493396993758/pdf/final-report.pdf  
  • Economies: As well as, projections show a lack of nearly 4 percent of the world’s annual gross domestic product (GDP) attributable to AMR by 2050.
  • Food systems and livelihoods: The national and global food industry is already under pressure as consumers turn out to be more informed in regards to the use of antimicrobials in food production and much more so because the impact of AMR microorganisms within the food chain and on the human microbiome becomes higher understood. Nonetheless, not all food producers or users of antimicrobials within the food chain are willing or capable of proceed at the identical pace. Furthermore, low- and middle-income countries are most affected by the implications of AMR, as infectious diseases disproportionately burden them. In only ten years, 24 million more people may very well be pushed into extreme poverty due to AMR, based on the World Bank report[1] published in 2017.
• A broader range of data is being gained that may help to more accurately assess any issues related to potential disruptions and impacts on food security and livelihoods.

Every yr, you, together with other members of the quadripartite, rejoice World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) with the theme for 2022 being “Stopping Antimicrobial Resistance Together”. What does this theme mean to you?

• WAAW reminds us the entire importance of every of our sectors and dealing together to combat AMR. AMR arises from the complex transmission or exposure pathways involving humans, animals, plants, and the environment, which suggests that AMR will not be the responsibility of only one sector. Because of this we’re acting “together” in any respect levels; at the worldwide level, FAO is working closely with its Quadripartite partners to deal with the difficulty.
• AMR has been called a silent pandemic that might overtake us if we usually are not proactive. Lately, we’ve learned from the COVID -19 pandemic that it is best to stop such colossal impacts than to react to them. From the painful lessons, this yr’s message re-emphasizes that we must prevent AMR, which may very well be the subsequent pandemic.
• Due to this fact, I can only agree with this yr’s theme. As we frequently say, “prevention is best than cure” Although this will likely sound grandiose, to stop AMR from becoming the subsequent pandemic, we will start with the next easy but practical principles: improved biosecurity and hygiene measures on farms, vaccination of animals, proper waste management in agricultural production and way more.

Image Credit: Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock.com

The COVID-19 pandemic has been one major challenge for humanity lately. What do you’re thinking that are the successes, and what are the teachings learned that may very well be useful for tackling AMR?

• There may be a direct link between infectious disease pandemics and the drugs we use to treat them.
• Antibiotics have proven essential in treating secondary bacterial infections during COVID -19.
• The pandemic has highlighted the importance of understanding how agrifood systems link animals, people, and the environment. The principles of disease prevention in a One Health approach apply not only to COVID -19 but additionally to the AMR response.
• The establishment of the AMR Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform as one in all the worldwide governance structures for AMR alongside the Global Leaders Group on AMR is a Quadripartite response to the suggestion of the UN Interagency Coordination Group on AMR report “No time to attend: Securing the longer term from drug-resistant infections” to “establish a constituency-based partnership platform to develop and work towards a shared global vision, goals and coordinated motion on AMR”.
• The platform will likely be an inclusive, international multi-stakeholder forum that brings together stakeholders from the human, animal, plant, and environmental sectors to assist preserve antimicrobials as life-saving medicines and ensure their responsible use inside a One Health approach. It’s a voluntary, collaborative coordination mechanism established by the Quadripartite to catalyze a world movement for motion against AMR to contribute to implementing the Global Motion Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance and country national motion plans.

In addition to providing a latest theme annually, you’ve got an overarching theme that is still the identical, “Handle Antimicrobials with Care”. Why is that this such a crucial message to be sharing globally, and the way can the secure and appropriate use of antimicrobials limit the spread of resistance in each humans and animals?

• The way in which we use (and misuse) antimicrobials is resulting in a rise in antimicrobial resistance in human health and the food and agriculture sectors.
  • The more antimicrobials we use, the greater the danger of antimicrobial resistance becomes.
  • We’ve turn out to be accustomed to counting on antibiotics to cure human infections, even once we usually are not sure they’re vital.
  • The identical is true within the food industry and agriculture – sometimes antimicrobials are used at alarming rates to treat disease with no confirmed diagnosis.
  • Much more problematic is their on a regular basis use to stop disease in animals and plants or to make animals grow faster.
• Nonetheless, the enabling environment – or lack thereof – exacerbates the issue. Within the food and agriculture sectors of low- and middle-income countries, social and economic aspects make it difficult for people to adopt advisable practices:
  • Microbes emerge and spread attributable to poor hygiene and inadequate disease prevention at the various stages of the food chain – from production and preparation to sale and consumption.
  • Inadequate access to qualified veterinarians and other animal health professionals results in the improper medicines getting used or inappropriate production systems being introduced.
  • The shortage of well-resourced and revered regulatory systems facilitates the sale of antimicrobials with no prescription and even counterfeit and substandard medicines. o Inadequate infrastructure makes it unattainable to supply adequate sanitation and other vital services.
• In lots of LMICs, that is compounded by a scarcity of oversight and regulation for the usage of antimicrobials. Due to this fact, it is vital to encourage all stakeholders – from drug dispensers and sellers to users – to make use of antimicrobials responsibly while ensuring fair access to medicines when needed. FAO will proceed to support stakeholders to make use of antimicrobials correctly by providing the vital guidance and training on treatment, control, and preventive use, in close collaboration with Quadripartite partners and in keeping with best practices and international standards.

Image Credit: FAO

To enhance global health, we must consider the health of animals and the environment. Due to this fact, how will the development of animal health subsequently improve the health of humans?

• Antimicrobials are vital medicines for the treatment of infectious diseases in terrestrial and aquatic animals and contribute to animal health and welfare
• Antimicrobials’ responsible and prudent use in animals is critical to optimizing animal health and welfare while reducing the danger of the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance. It needs to be considered an integrated part of world health to guard animal, human, plant, and environmental health.
• We’d like to enable more practical agricultural practices to extend profitability and reduce the burden of infection by reducing over-reliance on antimicrobials and the emergence of AMR. Robust animal health systems, including resilient biosecurity, prevention, and infection control measures, are fundamental to improved animal health and welfare. When properly designed and implemented, they’ll reduce the burden of infectious diseases in animal populations and reduce reliance on antimicrobials and the danger of emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance.
• FAO works with stakeholders to enhance animal health by also strengthening their capability to administer AMR risks, the prudent antimicrobial use, and the effective agricultural practices mentioned above, which contribute to the most important goals of FAO within the fight against AMR:
  • Reducing AMR levels and slowing the emergence and spread of resistance across the food chain and for all food and agriculture sectors 
  • Preserving the flexibility to treat infections with effective and secure antimicrobials to sustain food and agricultural production 
• As explained in a previous response, intertwined transmission routes, food, and agricultural production can affect human and environmental health. By achieving FAO’s goals, we are going to help reduce the burden of drug-resistant infections in humans and maintain the effectiveness of antimicrobials because the cornerstone of human medicine. That is FAO’s contribution to the GAP on AMR, which have to be implemented as a part of a One Health approach.

Alongside your work inside antimicrobial resistance, what are a few of the other projects you’re currently involved in?

• FAO supports countries in reducing AMR risks by utilizing its expertise in aquatic and terrestrial animal health and production, food and feed safety, genetic resources, crop production, natural resource management, risk communication, and behavioral science.
• The brand new FAO Motion Plan on AMR 2021-2025 guides FAO’s motion via five key objectives:
  1. increasing stakeholder awareness and engagement;
  2. strengthening surveillance and research;
  3. enabling good practices to scale back infections;
  4. promoting responsible use of antimicrobials; and
  5. strengthening governance and allocating resources sustainably.

• FAO has projects in over 40 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to assist the food and agriculture community higher understand and address AMR. Each of those projects addresses a number of of FAO’s five objectives and works directly with stakeholders to scale back AMR risks.

• The AMR Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) is an important instrument to fund Quadripartite collaborative motion and support the scale-up of the One Health approach at national, regional, and global levels. As of September 2022, the resource partners are the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK Fleming Fund, and Germany. Since its launch in 2019, the MPTF has mobilized greater than US$26 million. 
• Ten country programs have been approved by the Steering Committee (Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Morocco, Peru, Tajikistan, Senegal, and Zimbabwe) and at the moment are within the implementation phase. Each country has received about USD 1 million for a two-year program. The Fund supports activities comparable to catalytic and coordinated policy advice, technical assistance, and capability constructing as requested by the Quadripartite countries.
• FAO is committed to developing the constructing blocks that may catalyze national efforts to recurrently generate, share and analyze reliable and comparable AMR data in food and agriculture and antimicrobial use data in plants and crops. Substantial progress has been made on this regard. In the course of the second half of 2021, FAO accomplished a requirements evaluation to tell the event of an IT solution for the International FAO AMR Monitoring (InFARM) platform. Since early 2022, FAO has been developing a prototype of the platform. Countries are invited to take part in the pilot testing using their very own data until the tip of the yr.
• FAO will launch a world campaign to scale back the necessity for antimicrobials in agrifood systems over the subsequent decade, referred to as the Reduce the Need for Antimicrobials on Farms (RENOFARM) initiative. The initiative is action-oriented and involves all the production chain in a joint effort to strengthen capability at the first production level. It extensively uses science and progressive technologies, strengthening public-private partnerships and collaboration with the FAO’s Hand-in-Hand initiative.
• RENOFARM goals to directly contribute to higher production and nutrition by making farms healthier and more sustainable by introducing or improving best practices, health and vaccination programs, biosecurity measures, and antimicrobial alternatives.

Image Credit: fotopanorama360/Shutterstock.com

Are you hopeful that with continued awareness and research into antimicrobial resistance, we are going to in the future see a world without it? What would this mean for animal health?

• It needs to be remembered that AMR is a natural phenomenon that has existed since microorganisms have been present on our planet. It’s their way of defending themselves to survive and replicate in humans, animals, plants, and the environment. Nonetheless, because the discovery of antimicrobials, i.e., antibiotics, and their increasing use by humans, especially through overuse and misuse, the event of resistance mechanisms has also increased.
• Since AMR is a natural phenomenon, we cannot imagine a world without it. Nevertheless, we will do more to scale back AMR because it develops and spreads and to regain increasingly of the flexibility to make use of these essential drugs to treat otherwise life-threatening infections. In several countries that began fighting AMR several years ago, it is feasible to return to the present state of affairs [examples from America/Canada, Europe/Denmark, Asia/China]. To do that, it is important to supply already known tools (vaccines, diagnostics, waste management treatment) and increase investment to search out and develop latest ways to stop and reply to AMR. Research plays a vital role on this, whether it’s to enhance our knowledge, e.g., about transmission routes, but additionally to develop progressive solutions.
• AMR is a world challenge that we’ve to tackle using a One Health approach, and there may be a must also spend money on research in each of the particular sectors (human health, animal health, plant/crop health – including the food production and safety dimension – and environment) but additionally on the interface between sectors. For the time being, this continues to be not enough. The present landscape of projects on AMR Research and Development and correspondent funds in the information available within the Global AMR R&D Hub[1] show that investment for R&D projects for cross-sectoral research is lower than 10% of the overall.
• Awareness-raising plays a necessary role as a primary step in generating interest amongst the varied stakeholders concerned and the overall population. Nonetheless, studies have shown that knowledge about a problem will not be enough to trigger motion. FAO supports a comprehensive awareness campaign and conducts behavioral science interventions to bridge this gap between knowledge and motion/commitment, comparable to the Farmer Field Schools in Africa.
• For animal health, which means animals are less infected/sick because of good husbandry facilities and practices, on-farm biosecurity, vaccines, and diagnostics. We are going to soon launch an initiative to advertise and support countries to scale back the necessity for antimicrobials on farms and invite you to follow our website closely.

How can people become involved and help to lift awareness for World Antimicrobial Awareness Week?

Throughout the week, quite a few events are planned at headquarters, and regional and country offices, including the official launch of the AMR Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform.

See the official WAAW webpage for ideas on spreading awareness in your community. The WAAW Trello board also has plenty of resources, including visuals in your social media platforms. 

Remember to make use of #WAAW and #AntimicrobialResistance hashtags to hitch the discussion!

Where can our readers go to maintain up-to-date with the FAO’s projects and stories?

For more details about FAO’s on AMR, please seek the advice of our website: Antimicrobial Resistance | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (fao.org)

About Junxia Song, FAO Senior Animal Health Officer

Junxia Song is a Senior Animal Health Officer and AMR Focal Point on the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. She leads the event and implementation of the FAO Motion Plan on AMR 2021 – 2025. She has extensive experience within the prevention and control of zoonoses, transboundary animal diseases (TADs), and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).