On Tuesday, the 28th of March, HCWH Europe and HCWH US & Canada hosted a joint webinar: "The (un)recognised pathways of AMR: Air pollution and food". Please find a recording and the featured presentations below.

Context

The aim of this webinar is to address and examine two important means of transmitting drug-resistant bacteria - food and air. It is well known that the health sector contributes to pharmaceutical pollution of the environment (which leads to AMR) through inappropriate prescription practices, poor waste management, and unhealthy food choices in hospitals.

Some hospitals, however, have made a commitment to antibiotic stewardship and are working to reduce antibiotic misuse and overuse in different ways, such as foodservice procurement and eco-initiatives centred on sustainability and waste management. The quality of food in hospitals impacts patient's recovery, and the shift in the procurement of hospital food towards natural, sustainable, and antibiotic-free products can create/develop consumer trends throughout the entire community.

The damaging health effects of air pollution are already well known, although recently scientists from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden have shown that polluted air can also be a means of transmitting drug-resistant bacteria. How does this affect our health, and how severe is this threat? Find out in our webinar on 28th March.

Speakers and presentations

Adela Maghear, Pharmaceuticals Policy Officer - HCWH Europe

 Presentation: Welcome and introduction

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Melanie Giangreco, National Program Assistant for the Healthy Food in Health Care Program  - Health Care Without Harm U.S. & Canada

Melanie provides organisational support to the national program and Clinician Champions in Comprehensive Antibiotic Stewardship (CCCAS) Collaborative. Ms. Giangreco earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies with concentrations in policy and design. She has more than ten years of experience working on both conventional and organic farms, including small scale meat processing operations. 

 Presentation: Healthy food in healthcare

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Johan Bengtsson-Palme, Researcher - University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Dr. Bengtsson-Palme holds a PhD on the effects of antibiotics in the environment, his research covers impacts of antibiotics from different sources: aquatic environments, sewage, sewage treatment plants, and pharmaceutical production. In 2014, he and his colleagues presented an unprecedented diversity of antibiotic resistance factors in an Indian lake subject to waste from pharmaceutical pollution. Many of which seem to be easily transferrable to human pathogens.

 Presentation: Antibiotic resistance is in the air, but what does that mean?