Adebisi Yusuff Adebayo, Ogunkola Isaac Olushola
Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Global Health Focus, Kigali, Rwanda.
Trop Med Health. 2023 Jun 7;51(1):33. doi: 10.1186/s41182-023-00524-w.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a rising global health crisis causing about 700,000 deaths annually and potentially 10 million deaths by 2050, disproportionately impacts marginalised populations. Due to socioeconomic, ethnic, geographic, and other barriers, these communities often have restricted healthcare access, compounding the AMR threat. Unequal access to effective antibiotics, inadequate living conditions, and a lack of awareness exacerbate the crisis in marginalised communities, making them more susceptible to AMR. A broader, inclusive response is needed to ensure equitable access to antibiotics, improved living conditions, education, and policy changes to challenge the root socio-economic disparities. Ignoring marginalised populations in the fight against AMR is both a moral and strategic failure. Therefore, inclusivity must be a central tenet in combating AMR. This article not only critically dissects this prevailing oversight but also urgently calls for comprehensive action to address this significant shortcoming in our response efforts.
抗菌药物耐药性(AMR)是一场日益严重的全球健康危机,每年导致约70万人死亡,到2050年可能导致1000万人死亡,对边缘化人群的影响尤为严重。由于社会经济、种族、地理和其他障碍,这些社区的医疗保健机会往往有限,这加剧了AMR的威胁。获得有效抗生素的机会不平等、生活条件不足以及缺乏认识,加剧了边缘化社区的危机,使他们更容易受到AMR的影响。需要采取更广泛、包容性更强的应对措施,以确保公平获得抗生素、改善生活条件、开展教育并推动政策变革,以消除根源性的社会经济差距。在抗击AMR的斗争中忽视边缘化人群,既是道德上的失败,也是战略上的失败。因此,包容性必须成为抗击AMR的核心原则。本文不仅批判性地剖析了这一普遍存在的疏漏,还迫切呼吁采取全面行动,以解决我们应对工作中的这一重大缺陷。