Bacteria are becoming increasingly impervious to the drugs we use to kill them, and we aren’t discovering enough new antibiotics to replace those losing their edge.

The WHO has declared antimicrobial resistance (AMR) a top 10 global public health threat, noting that the rapid spread of multi- and pan-resistant bacteria (also known as ‘superbugs’) is ‘especially alarming’. A superbug-driven pandemic has the potential to be far deadlier than COVID-19.

Over-prescription of antibiotics is driving this resistance. These bacteria-killers are used widely in humans, and to control and prevent the spread of disease in domestic animals and agriculture. Once resistant bacteria develop, they can flow on and spread in our waste systems, water and soil.

The interconnectedness of these three sectors (human, animal and environmental health) in the AMR problem was recognised as a health priority at the latest G20 meeting in September 2021. A multi-sector strategy (also known as a ‘One Health’ approach) is crucial to reducing the risk of devastating superbugs.

Join our panel of experts online as they discuss the superbug threat and how it must be addressed locally and globally:

  • Dr Heidi Carroll, Queensland Health, Public Health Physician/Deputy Executive Director, Communicable Diseases Unit; UQ alumnus (MBBS, MPH)
  • Professor Ian Henderson, Director, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland.
  • Associate Professor Ricardo J. Soares Magalhães, Population Health and Biosecurity; Director, Queensland Alliance for One Health Sciences, The University of Queensland.
  • Dr Joanne Mollinger, Principal Scientist (AMR), Biosecurity Queensland, Animal Biosecurity and Welfare; UQ alumnus (PhD (Veterinary Microbiology), GCPH)

Series moderator:

  • Tegan Taylor, ABC Science Unit; co-host of the multi-award-winning ABC Coronacast podcast; UQ alumnus (BBusMan, BJ, GCArts, MA)

 

 

About Frontier Forum

Presented by the UQ Global Change Institute and moderated by Tegan Taylor (ABC Science Unit; UQ alumnus), these online events bring together leading researchers and experts from across the community who are at the coalface of major global challenges. Join us as we debate the issues, confront broken systems, and get into some blue-sky thinking around where we go from here.
 

About Alumni events

UQ alumni and community events take place in-person and online, across the globe, throughout the year. UQ alumni are invited to join the UQ ChangeMakers platform to access early event registrations, benefits and discounts.

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