127851-Thumbnail Image.png

Public health messaging about antimicrobial resistance (AMR) sometimes conveys the problem as an epidemic. We outline why AMR is a serious endemic problem manifested in hospital and community-acquired infections.

AMR is not an epidemic condition, but may complicate epidemics, which are…

Public health messaging about antimicrobial resistance (AMR) sometimes conveys the problem as an epidemic. We outline why AMR is a serious endemic problem manifested in hospital and community-acquired infections.

AMR is not an epidemic condition, but may complicate epidemics, which are characterized by sudden societal impact due to rapid rise in cases over a short timescale. Influenza, which causes direct viral effects, or secondary bacterial complications is the most likely cause of an epidemic or pandemic where AMR may be a problem. We discuss other possible causes of a pandemic with AMR, and present a risk assessment formula to estimate the impact of AMR during a pandemic. Finally, we flag the potential impact of genetic engineering of pathogens on global risk and how this could radically change the epidemiology of AMR as we know it.

Understanding the epidemiology of AMR is key to successfully addressing the problem. AMR is an endemic condition but can play a role in epidemics or pandemics, and we present a risk analysis method for assessing the impact of AMR in a pandemic.

Copyright Statement
    • Reuse Permissions
    • Downloads
    PDF (504.7 KB)

    Details

    Title
    • Pandemics, Public Health Emergencies, and Antimicrobial Resistance - Putting the Threat in an Epidemiologic and Risk Analysis Context
    Contributors
    Date Created
    2017-09-14
    Resource Type
  • Text
    • Collections this item is in
    ASU Scholarship Showcase
    Identifier
    • Digital object identifier: 10.1186/s13690-017-0223-7
    • International standard serial number
      2049-3258
    • International standard serial number
      0778-7367
    Note
    • The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: https://archpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13690-017-0223-7

    Citation and reuse

    Cite this item

    This is a suggested citation. Consult the appropriate style guide for specific citation guidelines.

    Macintyre, C. R., & Bui, C. M. (2017). Pandemics, public health emergencies and antimicrobial resistance - putting the threat in an epidemiologic and risk analysis context. Archives of Public Health, 75(1). doi:10.1186/s13690-017-0223-7

    Machine-readable links