On Jan. 24, 2023, a panel discussion on "The spread of antibiotic-resistant germs as a global crisis" took place at the Hessian State Representation in Brussels, to which Prof. Ulrich Schaible, spokesman of the Leibniz Research Network (LRA) INFECTIONS, was invited. The event was livestreamed and is now available to all interested viewers in the aftermath.
Pathogens that are resistant to antimicrobial agents are on the rise worldwide and represent one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. Nowadays already, the rise of this antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is threatening the successes achieved to date in combating infectious diseases and rendering many standard drugs ineffective. Factors that may contribute to the emergence of resistance include the excessive and inappropriate use of these drugs in animal husbandry, agriculture, and humans, as well as increasing mobility, climate change, and emerging pathogens. Infectious diseases caused by antibiotic-resistant germs are difficult and only with high costs or not at all treatable. The spread of these pathogens is thus a man-made problem and a "crisis in the making" that can only be tackled at the scientific and political level.
The panel discussion was part of the Crisis Talks series, which has been held regularly since 2015 and explores how Europe should deal with its current and past crises. The series of talks is organized by the Leibniz Research Network "Environmental Crises-Crises Environments" (previously by the Leibniz Research Network "Crises of a Globalized World") and the Hessian Representation of the EU in Brussels. Also involved are the Leibniz-Europa-Office and the Research Alliance “Normative Orders - Goethe University Frankfurt“.
A welcome by Lucia Puttrich, Minister for Federal and European Affairs of the State of Hessen, and Prof. Dr. Nicole Deitelhoff, Leibniz Peace Research Institute Frankfurt/ Goethe University Frankfurt, was followed by a panel discussion.
Participating in the panel discussion were:
- Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schaible, speaker of the Leibniz Research Alliance INFECTIONS, Research Center Borstel, with keynote speech.
- Dr. Peter Liese, Member of the European Parliament
- Dr. Wolfgang Phillip, European Commission, (Acting) Director of the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA)
- Moderation: Moritz Koch, Handelsblatt
Where: The videos are now available on the YouTube channel Hessen in Berlin and Europe ((78) Hessen in Berlin and Europe - YouTube). The livestream was simultaneously interpreted (English/German).