The Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy

South Africa has faced many challenges over the past two decades, accomplishing profound positive changes in the social structure and government of the nation. This has not yet fully translated into better health for the population, however, particularly the poorest segment. In fact, the population has lost ground since the 1990s in virtually all important health indicators, leaving South Africa with a high burden of infectious disease.

Given current concerns, it would be foolhardy to place antibiotic resistance as an issue on a par with HIV/AIDS or other infectious diseases in South Africa. But it should take its place on the health agenda, nonetheless. In a country with as high a burden of infectious disease as South Africa, it is essential that first-line, affordable antibiotics remain effective for as long as possible. Fortunately, interventions to enable this can be fashioned to be low in cost, but these do not happen spontaneously. The goal of the Global Antibiotic Resistance Partnership (GARP) is to recognise the issues and recommend policy alternatives that are right for the time and place – South Africa in the second decade of the 21st century.