September 24, 2019, SEOUL, Korea – The Chief Medical Officer for England, Dame Sally Davies, announced today during the 74th UN General Assembly that a consortium led by the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) has been awarded a £2.7m Fleming Fund Regional Grant to improve data sharing and bolster global policy against antimicrobial resistance (AMR). If unchecked, by 2050, an estimated 10 million people will die annually of infections by drug resistant bacteria at a cost of $100 trillion.
Grant awardees were announced at the Stop TB-hosted event on Tuesday on ‘UN High-Level Meetings on Health – Hitting the Targets under Universal Health Coverage’ during discussions that addressed the critical need to address AMR to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
“Achieving our common goal of universal health coverage will require global action on a multitude of fronts, including tackling the escalating threat of antimicrobial resistance and investing in research,” Dame Sally Davies said. “I am delighted to announce this funding, which will catalyse regional collaboration to help strengthen AMR surveillance systems across Africa and Asia.”
IVI is a Seoul, Korea-based nonprofit international organization dedicated to vaccine development and delivery. Members of the IVI-led international consortium include Public Health Surveillance Group, the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the University of Oxford’s Big Data Institute. With this grant, the consortium will be able to get key data and evidence in front of decision makers so that they can develop and implement policies to fight AMR.
Dr. Jerome Kim, Director-General of IVI said, “AMR is a growing threat to global public health. Compiling and disseminating strong evidence will be crucial to shaping effective policy. Combating AMR will require a concerted effort, and vaccine research and development will play a vital role.”
Dr. Vittal Mogasale, Head of Policy and Economic Research Department at IVI, added, “With this grant we will move one step closer to utilizing AMR data in policy, planning and practice at a global level.”
For more information about the consortium partners, please visit:
About AMR
According to the World Health Organization, AMR is one of the biggest threats to global public health; if current trends continue unabated, by 2050 there will be 10 million deaths annually and a yearly cost of $100 trillion dollars*. The 2018 World Health Organization (WHO) Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (GLASS) Report argued that putting resources into the containment of AMR – including surveillance – is one of the highest-yield investments a country can make to mitigate its impact.
* Source: Tracking Drug-Resistant Infections Globally: Final Report and Recommendations
About the Fleming Fund
The Fleming Fund is a £265 million UK aid investment to tackle antimicrobial resistance in low- and middle-income countries around the world. The programme is managed by the UK Department of Health and Social Care, in partnership with Mott MacDonald, the Fleming Fund Grant Management Agent.
About the International Vaccine Institute (IVI)
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is the world’s only international organization devoted exclusively to developing and introducing new and improved vaccines to protect the world’s poorest people, especially children in developing countries. Established in 1997, IVI operates as an independent international organization under a treaty signed by 35 countries and the World Health Organization. The Institute conducts research in more than 30 countries throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America on vaccines against enteric and diarrheal infections, Japanese encephalitis, MERS-CoV, and dengue fever, and develops new and improved vaccines at its headquarters in Seoul, Republic of Korea. For more information, please visit www.ivi.int
CONTACT
Aerie Em, Global Communications & Program Consultant
+82 2 881 1386 | aerie.em@ivi.int