Report

The Resistance Phenomenon in Microbes and Infectious Disease Vectors: Implications for Human Health and Strategies for Containment. Workshop Summary

Released:: April 10, 2003
Type:: Workshop Summary
Topics:: Diseases, Global Health, Public Health
Activity:: Forum on Microbial Threats
Board:: Board on Global Health

Note: Workshop Summaries contain the opinion of the presenters, but do NOT reflect the conclusions of the IOM. Learn more about the differences between Workshop Summaries and Consensus Reports.

This report examines our understanding of the relationships among microbes, disease vectors, and human hosts, and explores possible new strategies for meeting the challenge of resistance. The report is a summary of a two-day workshop held by the Forum on Emerging Infections in February 2002.

The resistance topic is timely given current events. The emergence of mysterious new diseases, such as SARS, and the looming threat of bioterrorist attacks remind us of how vulnerable we can be to infectious agents. With advances in medical technologies, we have tamed many former microbial foes, yet with few new antimicrobial agents and vaccines in the pipeline, and rapidly increasing drug resistance among infectious microbes, we teeter on the brink of losing the upperhand in our ongoing struggle against these foes, old and new.

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Other Reports by this Activity

Displaying: 3 of 24 Reports

Infectious Disease Movement in a Borderless World. Workshop Summary As a result of our global interconnectedness, infectious diseases emerge more frequently; spread greater distances; pass more easily between humans and animals; and change rapidly into new and more virulent strains. To explore issues related to infectious disease movement in a borderless world, the Forum on Microbial Threats hosted a workshop December 16-17, 2008, summarized in this document.
Released: March 12, 2010
The Domestic and International Impacts of the 2009-H1N1 Influenza A Pandemic: Global Challenges, Global Solutions. Workshop Summary This report summarizes a workshop held in mid-September 2009 on the domestic and international responses to the H1N1 influenza A pandemic.
Released: December 29, 2009
Global Issues in Water, Sanitation, and Health. Workshop Summary Worldwide, over one billion people lack access to an adequate water supply. Recognizing water availability, water quality, and sanitation as fundamental issues underlying infectious disease emergence, the IOM’s Forum on Microbial Threats held a two-day public workshop.
Released: September 25, 2009