In 2019, an estimated 5.2 million children under the age of 5 years old died mostly from preventable and treatable causes, with newborns (under 28 days) accounting for 2.4 million of these deaths. Neonatal sepsis, a blood infection in newborns, is a leading cause of death in this population. Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing global concern, with up to 30% of all deaths related to infections in newborns are thought to be directly caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria.
The CNPI AMR team at St George’s, University of London conduct ground breaking research investigating into novel treatments and prevention methods against diseases caused by antimicrobial resistant organisms. The research conducted at SGUL includes a series of clinical and observational studies investigating into microbes that cause disease and death in infancy. This includes studies looking at the impact of the use and consumption of antimicrobial therapy in different settings across the world, aiming to develop and deliver new treatments, policies and guidelines for the management of infections in places with high emerging drug resistance.