An approach to designing and implementing programmes, policies, legislation and research in which multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes.
The spotlight report will be launched at the 6th meeting of the Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance in Barbados, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The online launch is set for Tuesday, 7 February 2023; 10:30 am AST/9:30 am EST/5:30 pm EAT/3:30 pm CET. Details are available here or see it streamed live at PMPBarbados.
The report’s lead authors include Dr Teresa Coque, Prof. David Graham, Dr Amy Pruden, Dr Anthony So, Dr Ed Topp, and the amazing team at the UN Environmental Programme.
Prof. David Graham was just appointed to the United Nations Quadripartite Technical Group on Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Integrated Surveillance (QTG-AIS) established by the Quadripartite Joint Secretariat on AMR. QTG-AIS was formed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, United Nations Environment Programme, World Health Organization, and the World Organisation for Animal Health, and has been created to provide advice and guidance on the development of global, regional and country-level integrated surveillance systems for AMR and AMU. A special goal is to establish effective surveillance capacities across all resource settings.
QTG-AIS is mandated to provide:
advice to the Quadripartite on needs, scope, and format on integrated surveillance; how it should be updated to reflect emerging evidence and experience; and advocate for covering identified gaps;
reviews and refine current definition of integrated surveillance and agree on priority needs in different contexts;
technical advice to the Quadripartite on issues emerging from regional- and country-level work on AMR/AMU integrated surveillance;
strategic advice and input to the Global Leaders Group on AMR and AMU integrated surveillance; and
technical support/assistance via the Quadripartite to build country- and regional-level integrated AMR/AMU surveillance capabilities.
The QTG-AIS comprises 27 experts with AMR and AMU surveillance experience, including Prof Graham. See the Press Release here for the list of named individuals. Update: See a more developed summary of QTG-AIS here.
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).
Join the public webinar Environmental Dimension of AMR under the One Health Agenda in celebration of World Antimicrobial Awareness Week on Friday, 19 November 2021 from 8:00 to 11:00 GMT time via KouShare by clicking here.
This event is organized by the United Nations Environment Programme; the Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences; the Alliance of International Science Organizations; and the Center for Environmental Engineering Research, The University of Hong Kong. The moderators are Prof. Yong-Guan Zhu and Prof. David Graham, with opening remarks by Prof. Jian Lui and Prof. Jinghua Coa and invited talks from Prof. Tong Zhang, Prof. Sabiha Essack, Dr. Rajeshwari Sinha, Prof. Ewa Korzeniewska, Dr. Chanwit Tribuddharat, and Dr. Mui-Choo Jong.
Download the programme here; please note the programme times are given in China Standard Time, which is 8 hours ahead of GMT, so adjust for your viewing location.
We are very pleased to present some of the group’s research in three talks and two posters at the 6th World One Health Congress. If you are registered for WOHC be sure to check them out, and send us your feedback at grahAMR@newcastle.ac.uk.
David W Graham – Source tracking and predicting antibiotic resistance exposures along two SE Asian rivers with inconsistent wastewater management
Pani Adamou – Contribution of different treatment technologies at reducing total cell and viable cell ARGs from discharged wastewater
Marcos Quintela-Baluja – Targeted metagenomics for source attribution of Antimicrobial Resistance in Urban systems
Myra Giesen – Knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions towards antibiotics and AMR among slum dwellers and medical practitioners in New Delhi
Andrew Zealand – Contrasting resistomes of the guts of infants, and water and wastewater exposures
Also, David is chairing the session Water and wastewater: fate and treatment of AMR – Friday 30 October 12:00 – 14:00 CET, while Marcos is chairing the session Environmental exposures: Water and wastewater – Monday 2 November 20:00 – 22:00 CET.
The GrahAM Research Group focus primarily on work surrounding antimicrobial resistance (AMR), taking a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to global health and well-being. The team of researchers, led by Newcastle University Prof David W Graham, utilises a holistic ‘One Health Approach’, and contributes to several of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Our research provides guidance to various international organisations, including the World Health Organisation, and bridges sustainable development, engineering, health, and sociotechnical mitigation options for reducing global AMR.
The main topics we explore are
the transmission, fate and impact of antibiotic resistance genes in the environment resulting from human activity;
energy minimization in water, wastewater and solid waste management systems;
the microbiology and ecology of greenhouse gas suppression and production in geochemical settings, especially in Polar regions; and
water and environmental quality in the developing and emerging world.
