Hope on the horizon
Thanks to the medical advancements, severity of cystic fibrosis has reduced for her in recent years. The phage therapy she has been using since 2019 "treats the cause of the disease which reduces the amount of mucous which is being built up in the lungs - therefore less of an environment for the bacteria to thrive," she shared with CNS.
For 4 years now, she has not been on intravenous antibiotics whereas earlier she had to be on them every 2-3 months. Her quality of life is much better now, though she has to take oral antibiotics and inhaler medicines to treat her lung infections.
David T Elin, Senior Director Advocacy and Government Affairs, at US based Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, emphasises that patient voices and stories are very important in our efforts to prevent AMR. "AMR and its impacts on the community are just numbers on a page until we explain the real-world impact." He was speaking in a webinar 'Widening the engagement of patient advocacy groups and networks in AMR action" organised by WHO during the World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) this year.
Bacteria ahead of the medicines we currently have
"Bacteria are ahead of the medicines that we currently have. We need to invest in R&D to bring new and better products to market. We know that policymakers are a key player in this in this puzzle. One of the things that we have been emphasizing is to raise awareness for our government here in the United States to pass policies that will help bring new drugs to the market and get the treatments in the hands of patients who need them most. We are currently lobbying for the passage of the PASTEUR (The Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions To End Upsurging Resistance) Act, that aims to stimulate the antimicrobial pipeline (by establishing a subscription programme for antibiotic and antifungal developers) that will not only have an impact here in the United States, but globally as well," said Elin.
Gabiella rightly calls upon the world leaders to leverage the power they have to translate global goals into local actions "because lives are at stake". And as Elin says, we need to link arms, and partner with other stakeholders including patient groups to come together to share our stories and our voices with our lawmakers to bring about effective policy changes.
There is no excuse for inaction. AMR can happen to anyone - we all are at risk if we get infected with drug-resistant microbes. We need to diagnose infections accurately and quickly enough and treat them with effective medicines in a person-centred manner. Stopping the spread of infections should be a top priority too.
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