Denmark-led seminar focuses on action against 'next pandemic'

By Yi Whan-woo

Misuse and overuse of antimicrobials are causing an increase in drug-resistant pathogens ― so much so that the World Health Organization (WHO) in October declared antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity.

To take action against AMR, the Embassy of Denmark in Korea hosted an online seminar jointly with the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and the International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions (ICARS), Dec. 3.

According to Danish Ambassador to Korea Einar Jensen, problems with multidrug-resistant bacteria are serious enough to be called “the next pandemic.”

Headquartered in Seoul, the IVI operates under the auspices of the U.N. Development Programme and is tasked with developing vaccines and supplying them to less-developed countries.

ICARS was formed in Copenhagen in 2019 under the initiative of the Danish government and the World Bank to support low- and middle-income countries by developing and implementing solutions to AMR.

Titled “Evidence to Action,” the seminar was moderated by professor Sabiha Essack from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, with panelists joining from the three host groups, the WHO as well as the health ministries of the countries including Denmark, Korea and Vietnam.

Among them were IVI Director General Jerome Kim, IVI Head of Epidemiology and Public Health Research Marianne Holm, IVI Project Country Coordinator Bangladesh Julhas Sujan, IVI Senior Research Scientist Marianne Holm, ICARS Scientific Director Robert Skov and Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Deputy Director General Nguyen Thu Thuy.

They shared thoughts on advancing national AMR prevention and control policies in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis.

Ambassador Jensen said the world needs to focus on AMR even though “all eyes are on COVID-19.”

“I am pleased that the Danish government decided to launch ICARS, and I am also pleased that the Korean-based IVI has a strong focus on combating one of the greatest threats to health, society and economies,” he said.

Skov viewed it as urgent to develop context-specific solutions to tackle AMR. He believes helping low- and middle-income countries to own and lead solutions is important, too.

“As such, I am very pleased to come together with our co-hosts and speakers from around the world to discuss ways to do this in practice,” he said, adding he will be happy to “extend our invitation to partner countries and foundations who wish to join our efforts.”

Holm assessed AMR is an urgent and growing global health crisis that requires transparent, coordinated and decisive action across countries.

“We're delighted to host this conversation with ICARS and the Danish Embassy in Korea to address the current gaps in available quality data and what it will take to affect meaningful change in antimicrobial use, consumption and resistance, particularly in low- and middle-income countries,” she said.

The seminar was open for all. The participants could submit questions to the panelists on the website.

According to the WHO website, AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites mutate over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.

Antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines accordingly become ineffective and infections become increasingly difficult or impossible to treat.