From the moment raw ingredients are harvested to when you cook and eat a meal, an invisible process is taking place: the growth of antimicrobial resistance. This happens when microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, and so on) stop responding to antibiotics or disinfectants. Often described as a “silent pandemic”, antimicrobial resistance is currently one of the greatest…
The rising threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to expose deep structural weaknesses in global pharmaceutical markets, with drug-resistant infections projected to claim nearly two million lives annually by 2050 unless investment and policy responses accelerate, according to the 2026 AMR Benchmark published by the Access to Medicine Foundation. The benchmark, released on March 10,…
Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi Starlink’s proposed entry into South Africa is facing mounting political backlash, driven by concerns over owner Elon Musk’s conduct and public statements. Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi and parliament’s communications & digital technologies portfolio chair, Khuselo Diko, have both taken to social media to voice their opposition to Musk and…
This opinion piece was first published in Jornal de Angola, a copy of which can be found here: https://www.jornaldeangola.ao/noticias/9/opini%C3%A3o/655384/resist%C3%AAncia-antimicrobiana:-a-amea%C3%A7a-invis%C3%ADvel-que-pode-redefinir-o-futuro BY: Dr. Filipa Vaz, WHO Laboratory Surveillance Officer Imagine a world where a simple infection, such as pneumonia or a poorly healed wound, could be fatal. Does that seem far-fetched? It isn’t. That is the reality…
Sanveer Ramdutt with his company’s new AccurioPress C4080. More than eight decades ago, Gainchund Ramdutt stepped into the printing trade in Durban. By 1969, armed with skill and ambition, he founded Art Printers – a family business that would eventually become part of South Africa’s history. During the anti-apartheid struggle, Art Printers wasn’t just a…
Wider use of new tools against malaria, including dual-ingredient nets and WHO-recommended vaccines helped to prevent an estimated 170 million cases and 1 million deaths in 2024, according to WHO’s annual World malaria report. WHO-recommended tools are increasingly being integrated into broader health systems. Since WHO approved the world’s first malaria vaccines in 2021, 24…
The authoritative World Health Organization (WHO) World Malaria Report, published on Thursday, shows that resistance to antimalarial drugs now poses one of the most acute risks to control efforts across Africa and beyond. The parasitic mosquito-borne disease is both preventable and curable but it remains a serious and deadly global health threat – claiming hundreds…
Addis Ababa — Ethiopia has unveiled its fourth National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), reaffirming its commitment to tackling this pressing global health threat. The launch places Ethiopia among a growing number of African countries with firm strategies to address AMR, which occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve to withstand drugs designed…
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is often described as a “silent” or “hidden” threat, but its consequences are anything but quiet. “AMR remains underreported, underappreciated, and dangerously misunderstood,” said Dr. Sophie Masika, the Global Health Policy Manager at the World Federation for Animals (WFA). “It also doesn’t have a clear ‘face’ – people don’t see obvious symptoms…
Common infections are becoming harder – and sometimes impossible – to treat, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Monday, as new data show that one in six bacterial infections globally are resistant to standard antibiotics, endangering millions and straining health systems worldwide. According to the agency’s latest surveillance report, antibiotic resistance rose in…
