Antimicrobial Resistance and Social Justice

A special issue of the journal Monash Bioethics Review has been published, bringing together a collection of articles focusing on the theme of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and social justice.

AMR poses a threat of serious harm, and this complex problem requires a sustained, multisectoral approach to avert the worst outcomes. The collection of articles aims to enable readers to examine further the measures proposed to curb AMR, and what can be done to better promote social justice through such measures.

Tess Johnson, editor of the special issue, highlights that the unfairness of AMR isn't just about who suffers from drug-resistant diseases, it's about who has access to medicines, who is most reliant on them, whose voices are heard or not, and how existing power structures work against our efforts to protect people, animals, the environment, bugs, and antibiotics, alike.

'There is so much more work to be done, but this special issue contributes important perspectives on what justice requires, on how we can address this problem not only effectively, but also fairly. That message needs to be heard by policymakers, medical practitioners, farmers, pharma, and patients. If we want to have a future where AMR doesn't cause as many deaths as are currently predicted, we need to address not only the absolute disease burden, but the injustices that that create barriers to addressing the problem.’

Articles in the special issue include a focus on:

• A systematic scoping review with a focus on AMR justice issues in relation to gender and intersectional identities. Lynch, I., Fluks, L., Manderson, L. et al
• An exploration of value trade-offs involved in antimicrobial stewardship through a relational lens, in the setting of residential aged care facilities. Williams, J., Chawraingern, S. & Degeling, C.
• New bioethical frameworks for antimicrobial resistance and climate emergency discussing justice, AMR and intersectionality. Sudenkaarne, T., Butcher, A.
• A queer feminist posthuman framework to assess harms in the AMR context. Sudenkaarne, T.
• An examination of pregnant people’s experiences of treatment for bacterial infections in pregnancy. McKnight, U., Farsides, B., Soni, S. et al.
• Environmental AMR and analysis of pharmaceutical pollution as a driver. Fumagalli, D.
• Antibiotic use in humans and animals in East Africa. Mutua, E., Davis, A., Laurie, E. et al.

Monash Bioethics Review, Volume 42, Issue 1 supplement
Special Issue: Antimicrobial Resistance and Social Justice
Issue Editor: Tess Johnson