How do we simultaneously manage the acute COVID-19 pandemic and escalating antibiotic resistance?

Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance

The Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance (JPIAMR) is organising a series of webinars to highlight and clarify the importance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic and future viral pandemics.

The burden of AMR is likely to increase due to the escalated use of antibiotics to treat bacterial co-infections in COVID-19 patients. Effective treatment of patients in the current and future virus pandemics requires both better and faster diagnostics to confirm bacterial (co-)infection and antibiotic susceptibility and a choice of alternative antibiotics for those, potentially resistant, bacterial co-infections.

Many AMR research areas are interlinked with COVID-19 research and both fields could cross-benefit from synergies and collaboration on data collection but AMR researchers need access to patient data, samples, scientific instruments, laboratory resources and research funding, of which the availability is likely to be prioritised for projects focused on COVID-19 research.

The webinars bring together world-leading researchers and clinicians discuss the prevalence of bacterial co-infections, best practise and appropriate use of antibiotics, and opportunities and challenges for AMR research in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Register Here