Asean leaders unite vs malnutrition, AMR

The Philippines and other Association of Southeast Asian Nations member countries have united to end malnutrition in the region.

Leaders of ASEAN member-states adopted a Declaration on Ending All forms of Malnutrition during the recently held ASEAN Summit in Manila, according to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.

“The Declaration embodies the highest level of political commitment toward a multisectoral collaborative approach on food security and nutrition among sectors such as agriculture, public health and nutrition, social welfare and other relevant stakeholders,” he said.

ASEAN health ministers were tasked to monitor the progress of the Declaration and support the delivery of measures addressing malnutrition.

Duque said the Philippines will lead other ASEAN member-countries in the formulation of the framework of action for nutrition and specific plan to implement the Declaration.

Addressing all forms of malnutrition is critical, con- sidering that 17.9 million girls and boys are stunted in the ASEAN region.

“Nutrition is seen as a maker and marker of development that is essential to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals,” Duque noted.

Malnutrition can diminish mental development and can have irreversible effects not only to the individual but also to the communities and the countries. Thus, it is imperative for ASEAN membercountries to scale up action toward ending all forms of malnutrition.

“Faster results at scale are necessary to achieve the six global targets for improved maternal, infant and young nutrition adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 and the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030,” Duque said.

‘One Health’ vs antimicrobial resistance

Leaders of the 10 ASEAN member-states have also agreed to adopt the “One Health” approach to tackle the pressing issue on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) confronting not only the region but also the entire world, the Department of Health (DOH) reported at the conclusion of the summit.

The move will strengthen the fight against AMR which “emerged as one of the serious challenges of the modern world,” Duque said.

“Antimicrobial resistance poses a serious threat not only to the Philippines but also to the whole ASEAN, with major implications in health, trade, agriculture, the economy and global security,” he added.

The DOH took the lead in crafting the declaration.

The signing of the document is a historic achievement in the ASEAN that will contribute to the group’s vision of a healthy, caring, sustainable and productive region resistant to emerging health threats and have universal access to health care.

Duque noted that the DOH is “very pleased to lead in this initiative as our main contribution in regional health cooperation during this important period of our chairmanship.”

“The DOH is ready to share with other ASEAN member-states our country’s experience in implementing the ‘One Health’ approach that is embodied in our National Action Plan to combat antimicrobial resistance,” he said.

In 2015, the DOH formulated the National Action Plan to Combat AMR by partnering with agencies like the Departments of Agriculture, Trade and Industry, and Science and Technology (DOST).

The action plan outlined the country’s strategies to combat AMR.

In 2014, the World Health Organization had already raised the alarm that without effective action by governments and global leaders, the world could face a return to the post-antibiotic era where drug-resistant infections overtake cancer as the leading cause of human suffering and death by 2050.

This threatens the gains achieved with the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular, attaining good health and well-being.

Drug resistance cases have already been observed in the region including tuberculosis, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, macrolide-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, enteric pathogens and extremely drug-resistant gram-negative bacilli in both the hospital and community settings.