IRENE BALLESTEROS.- One of the greatest health threats that humanity faces in the 21st century are the antimicrobial resistance. In 2019, 1.27 million people died worldwide from infections of this type, and the forecasts are no better, since by 2050 it is predicted that this figure could multiply by more than ten times. In this context, the concepto ‘One Health’discussed at the II Seminar of the biopharmaceutical company MSD and the One Health Platform in Spainunder the motto “One world, one health”, tries to find solutions to this problem.
To start with this concept, the first thing is the awareness of all professionals, «precisely the One Health concept tries to find solutions, from the point of view of actions in animals, humans and the environment. The European Union (EU) has established a reminder of what actions are included in the plans to combat resistance and there we have all of them. lines of action, which start from knowing what the situation is, doing surveillance studies; of antimicrobial consumption; how antimicrobial resistance trends are going, and then look for innovative solutions, which may be the discovery and better use of the antibiotics we have now. Some actions, such as phage therapy, actions in the use of vaccines against multiresistant microorganisms… And that affects both animals and humans, and therefore these actions have to be coordinated,” explains Rafael Cantón, head of the Microbiology Service. from the Ramón y Cajal Hospital, Madrid.
Precisely, it is that coordination and teamwork what is needed to transmit this knowledge among patients, who are those who consume antibiotics, “drugs that we must preserve for the future and that, precisely, the use of antimicrobials itself is what generates these resistances. If we use too many antibiotics “We are going to create a selection of resistant bacteria and that is what has created this decadent situation,” continues Cantón.
Vaccination
As part of the One Health approach, prevention and immunization strategies, both human and animal, are essential to prevent and control many emerging diseases. Here, vaccination is considered a comprehensive strategy. «It is one of the most important solutions because it achieves many things, the first, avoid infection. If we avoid infection, antibiotics are no longer needed. Also with vaccination against viral diseases we often manage to avoid having an antibiotic prescription that would not be necessary, because we are facing a viral disease, but that, in the face of a possible complication or simply because we do not have a etiological diagnosis, antibiotics are prescribed incorrectly, so with flu vaccination we save up to 40% of antibiotic prescriptions,” explains Jaime Pérez, president of the Spanish Association of Vaccinology. Vaccines also achieve, “when we have effective vaccines against certain bacteria, what they do is prevent certain resistances. For example, the introduction of the first pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in the US achieved a reduction of more than 80% in pneumococcus antibiotic resistance. That is, through three ways, the first, avoiding infection and, therefore, avoiding resistance, through the use of incorrect antibiotics, avoiding many viral diseases and, at the same time, against pathogens that have already created resistance, it manages to eliminate them. or reduce them very significantly,” continues the president of the Vaccinology Association.
In vaccination the nursing is a leaderHowever, there is still a long way to go in terms of training and holistic work, where human, animal and environmental health form a single global health. «The nurse as a caregiver of continuous patient care is a key element in the health profession, but I think it is an issue that we have to incorporate into our practice and daily life. From the Vaccinology Association, we created a One Health vocals and now one of our objectives and work groups is antibiotic resistance, and one of our objectives and lines of action is precisely One Health. We have to incorporate it, it is not that we are lacking here, because there are professionals who are in the world of human health, but it is true that we have to get used to the fact that we have to incorporate it and that in this world of One Health we are one more part and we are not the only protagonists. There are many of us working for one single objectiveIn principle, we have worked much more with human health, but we have to realize that it is very interrelated and that only from one holistic perspective “We are going to improve the total health of our patients,” explains Pérez.
Conscience
To work on the One Health concept it is essential to make a training work that ends up raising awareness among the population. «One of the important issues, which seems minor, is, for example, the fact that an immunosuppressed patient has to vaccinate himself, vaccinate the people who live with him and also vaccinate the pets who live with him. We all have to vaccinate our pets, but for these types of patients it is much more necessary. It is a matter of incorporating little by little. The first thing about your One Health is your diet, the animal that lives with you, but not only that, it is much more«concludes the president of the Spanish Association of Vaccinology.
2023-12-12 09:00:11
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