The World Health Organization has release a list of the
ten biggest threats to global health in 2019:
- Air Pollution and Climate Change
- Non-communicable disease
- Global influenza pandemic
- Fragile and Vulnerable settings (estimated to affect 22% of global population)
- Antimicrobial resistance
- Ebola and other high-threat pathogens
- Weak primary health care
- Vaccine hesitancy (estimated to be the cause of 1.5 million deaths worldwide)
- Dengue
- HIV (nearly 1 million deaths per year)
In looking at this list, one wonders what we, as pharmacists, might directly address in our communities and practices. Please permit me to suggest the following:
Non-communicable disease - Clinical pharmacy practice, especially in the VA, has been shown to be a significant resource in helping to manage diseases like hypertension, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and even smoking cessation.
Antimicrobial resistance - continued support for Antibiotic Stewardship and patient education on appropriate use of antibiotics are venues that are immediately available to us.
Weak Primary Health Care - again, the VA experience has shown us that pharmacists can, and should fill the void in available primary healthcare both in the community and clinic setting. It is one of the places where our UK colleagues are well ahead of us.
Vaccine Hesitancy - I believe we have a stronger role than we currently play in better educating the US public about vaccination safety and efficacy.
What do you think? Do we have roles in others of these ten biggest threats?
Dennis A. Tribble, PharmD, FASHP
Ormond Beach, FL
DATdoc@aol.com
The contents of this blog represent my own opinions, and not necessarily those of ASHP or my employer.