Curbing the Invisible Pandemic: Effective Solutions to Collectively Combat Antimicrobial Resistance

While the world is still suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic, another invisible crisis is growing, largely unrecognized, but already resulting in significant mortality, morbidity, and economic loss.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), widely described as the “silent,” “slow,” or “unseen” pandemic,” is responsible for approximately 700,000 deaths every year. The death toll is estimated to rise to 10 million annually by 2050 if no action is taken. This urgent global health issue requires targeted tools, systemic solutions, and strategies to tackle the root causes of its spread and emergence globally and locally.

The webinar looked at tools, such as the development of vaccines, new drugs, as well as a range of solutions to tackle AMR, and discuss effective strategies for strengthening global and local capacities and capabilities, including national AMR surveillance, in particular in low- and middle-income countries and the generation of actionable data to support context-specific, evidence-based solutions.

The webinar was co-organized by the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Institut Pasteur Korea (IPK), the Embassy of Denmark in the Republic of Korea, and the International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions (ICARS).

The webinar opened with welcome remarks from:

• Eun A Her, Member, Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee, National Assembly, Republic of Korea
• Einar Jensen, Ambassador of Denmark to Republic of Korea
• Jerome Kim, Director General, International Vaccine Institute
• Winfried Wicklein, Deputy Director General, Southeast Asia Department, Asian Development Bank
• Youngmee Jee, Chief Executive Officer, Institut Pasteur Korea

Speakers

• Satyajit Sarkar, Research Scientist, International Vaccine Institute (Moderator) 
• Marianne Holm, Head, Epidemiology and Public Health Research, International Vaccine Institute 
• Soojin Jang, Head, Antibacterial Resistance Lab, Institut Pasteur Korea 
• Robert Skov, Scientific Director, International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions 
• Gloria Cristina Córdoba Currea, AMR Advisor, International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions 
• Nitish Debnath, Team Leader, Fleming Fund Country Grant, DAI Global Health, Bangladesh 
• Sang-Gyun Han, Director, Disease Policy Department, Ministry of Health, Republic of Korea
• Nithima Sumpradit, Head, System Research and Development Unit, National Focal Point for Thailand’s National Strategic Plan on AMR, Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand
• Eduardo P. Banzon, Principal Health Specialist, Southeast Asia Department, Asian Development Bank (Panel Moderator)