The changing landscape of antimicrobial resistance and use in South Africa: The need for access to new antibiotics: A position paper.

Antibiotic resistance is a global threat, with a disproportionate burden of mortality in low- and middle-income countries. It is increasing in both the public and private healthcare sectors within South Africa, especially in Gram-negative organisms, and is associated with increased use of World Health Organization watch and reserve antibiotics. There is a need for improved access to new antibiotics to treat infections caused by drug-resistant organisms in order to limit side-effects and improve patient outcomes of currently available antibiotics.

Impact of age on antimicrobial prescriptions in hospitalized children at three academic centres in South Africa: a point prevalence survey.

Antimicrobial resistance is a global threat in children, and the emergence of multi-drug-resistant organisms is of concern. This secondary analysis of an antimicrobial point prevalence survey (PPS) in children evaluates the impact of age on antimicrobial use. The mean antimicrobial prescriptions were assessed in neonates, infants, young children (1-5 years), school-going children (6-12 years), and adolescents (13-15 years) from a cross-sectional PPS at three academic hospitals between September 2021 and January 2022.

Policy brief: Optimising antimicrobial usage in paediatric inpatient hospital settings.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a global threat, partly fueled by antimicrobial overuse. Paediatric inpatients are particularly vulnerable to infections, leading to high antimicrobial consumption. In low-to-middle income countries (LMICs) like South Africa, research on antimicrobial usage for neonatal and paediatric healthcare-associated infections (HAI) is limited.

Environmental exposures associated with early childhood recurrent wheezing in the mother and child in the environment birth cohort: a time-to-event study.

Background: Antenatal factors and environmental exposures contribute to recurrent wheezing in early childhood.

Aim: To identify antenatal and environmental factors associated with recurrent wheezing in children from birth to 48 months in the mother and child in the environment cohort, using time-to-event analysis.

Method: Maternal interviews were administered during pregnancy and postnatally and children were followed up from birth to 48 months (May 2013-October 2019).

A Review Of Host-Specific Diagnostic And Surrogate Biomarkers In Children With Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most common causes of mortality globally with a steady rise in paediatric cases in the past decade. Laboratory methods of diagnosing TB and monitoring response to treatment have limitations. Current research focuses on interrogating host- and/or pathogen-specific biomarkers to address this problem.