One Water One Health

A special webinar is being held on March 24 at the 9th World Water Forum called “One Water One Health“. This event is being co-hosted by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), and World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and examines “AMR in the Environment” from a One Health perspective, including transmission and spread in water systems.

“This session fosters awareness and multistakeholder dialogue that brings together the tripartite organisations namely the UN FAO, WHO, OIE, and UNEP with the government, the private sector, and experts from environment, health, and WASH sectors. The event presents an opportunity to understand the multitude of water and health linkages and antimicrobial resistance from a water environment perspective, specifically the scope of the problem, sources, drivers, transmissions mechanisms, and the implications to global water security and mitigation actions.”

The webinar is 08:00 to 09:00 GMT on Thursday, 24 March 2022. Registration here.

During the webinar, our own Prof David Graham is speaking about the role of the wider environment on antimicrobial resistance spread. Other contributors include Sasha Koo-Oshima (Land and Water Division, FAO); Sunita Narain (Centre for Science and Environment, Chair of the Global Leaders Group Environment Group); Joakim Larsson (University of Gothenburg, Sweden); Kate Medlicott (World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland); Marion Savill (Affordable Water Limited and Water, NZ Chapter of International Water Association (IWA), & IWA ASPIRE, New Zealand); Nigel French (Massey University & New Zealand Food Safety Science and Research Centre); Omar El-Hassan (FAO) & Robert Bos (FAO). 

Sanitation’s role in reducing the spread of AMR

Read the interview that David Graham gave Health Europa on the vital role of sanitation in reducing the spread of antimicrobial resistance by click here. Questions covered include:

  • How does a lack of access to clean water and sanitation increase the spread of AMR?
  • Can you explain how wastewater has been used as a tool to guide healthcare decisions during the pandemic?
  • What are the key challenges facing the healthcare sector in preventing the spread of AMR infection?
  • You and your colleagues have successfully trialled two new qPCR assays to detect transmissible AMR. Can you outline your DNA-based testing method and explain the benefits of this?
  • What steps should be taken at a policy level to avoid the worst-case scenario of 10 million annual deaths by 2050?

Alumni Day talk online: Fighting the Next Pandemic: Water quality, antimicrobial resistance and global health

David Graham recently provided the 2020 Newcastle University Alumni Day lecture and it is now available online (in case you missed it). The talk called “Fighting the Next Pandemic: Water quality, antimicrobial resistance and global health” is available here or see it below. It addresses links between water quality and the spread of resistant infectious disease – which could potentially lead to the next pandemic. Parallels and lessons between antibiotic resistance and Covid-19 are discussed.

Upcoming Talk: Fighting the Next Pandemic: Water quality, antimicrobial resistance, and global health

Prof David Graham will be speaking at the Newcastle Alumni Day on Saturday, 10th October 2020. The lecture is open to Newcastle graduates, current and retired staff, supporters, and others; you can register here. David will discuss links between water quality and resistant infectious disease – which could potentially lead to the next pandemic. Antimicrobial resistance already is rampant in the developing world, partially due to poor water quality. However, it is growing everywhere due to global connectedness. David will present evidence of this spread before discussing holistic solutions.

UK-Malaysia Water Expert Forum “The Linkage between Wastewater, Health and Sustainable Sanitation”

Professor David Graham joins Professor Dato’ Ir Dr Zaini Ujang (Secretary General to the Environment Ministry of Malaysia) and Professor Azmi bin Aris (Director of Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Water Security, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia) as panellists and moderator for this webinar. Special thank you to Prof Dr Zainura Zainon Noor for leading the event. The webinar took place 17-19 August 2020. View day two of the webinar here.