Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy

A roundup of news on drug resistance and other topics in global health.

CDDEP blogs about Ramanan Laxminarayan’s new article on the economics of antibiotic resistance from the Milken Institute Review. [CDDEP]

A new report  by the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System reveals that resistance in foodborne bacteria during 2010 showed mixed results, with resistance across different pathogens increasing, decreasing or remaining stable. [CIDRAP]

Another report on foodborne illnesses released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that the number of people falling ill from foodborne pathogens remained stable or slightly worsened during 2011. [Food Safety News]

According to a new study by researchers from the University of Chicago Medicine and the University HealthSystem Consortium, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in academic hospitals doubled in the five-year period between 2003 and 2008. [The Atlantic]

New research published in the American Journal of Infection Control finds a significant association between nurse staffing practices in hospitals and healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Specifically, hospitals with more overworked nurses saw a higher incidence of HAIs. [NBC News]

A research study on the effect of DECISION+2, a shared decision-making training program, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) finds that the program led to a reduction in the use of antibiotics. [Medical News Today]

To control rising drug resistance, Shanghai Health Bureau is enforcing new rules and penalties to curb the overuse of antibiotics. [Shanghaist]

Citing studies that have shown pathogens to be more virulent in vaccinated chickens, mice and cats, a blog article published in PLoS Biologue discusses the possibility of vaccine resistance in pathogens that cause diseases in humans. [PLoS Biologue]

A study published in The Lancet finds that the prevalence of drug resistance has increased significantly over time in regions of sub-Saharan Africa after the rollout of antiretroviral treatments. [News-Medical]

Amid reports suggesting a prevalence of fake anti-malarial drugs, Pharmacheck, a new device to test whether malaria drugs are real or counterfeit, is under active development. [BU Today] 

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