By Anmar Frangoul
Global charitable foundation Wellcome has announced a £2.4 million ($3.2 million) investment in a project to track the worldwide impact of superbugs.
The Global Burden of Disease antimicrobial resistance (AMR) project is to be launched today at the Call to Action conference in Berlin, Germany. Tim Jinks, Wellcome's head of drug resistant infections, said it would provide vital information on both the spread and impact of drug resistance.
"While we have seen progress in recognition around the world of the threat that superbugs pose, we need to regain momentum," Jinks said. "High-level commitments must quickly become action."
The problem is a serious one, with Wellcome saying that drug resistant infections already kill 700,000 people each year.
The launch comes after Sally Davies, England's chief medical officer, told the Press Association that the world was facing a "dreadful post-antibiotic apocalypse" if action was not taken immediately.
The AMR project is a collaboration between the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at University of Washington and the University of Oxford's Big Data Institute.
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