Apocalyptic numbers: Antibiotic resistance as the classic ‘One Health’ (and classic ‘One World’) planetary issue

Depicted in this watercoloured etching, The Ancient of Days, by William Blake,

is Urizen, a  figure that for Blake embodied reason and law.

Urizen’s outstretched hand holds a compass over the darker void below,

representing an event in the Book of Proverbs,

‘when he set a compass upon the face of the earth’

(image via the British Museum).

This is the first in a series of articles being published by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in the lead up to the High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance, which will be held in the margins of the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly, attended by heads of state and government at the UN’s New York City headquarters on 21 Sep 2016. Global leaders at the summit will commit to leading the fight against antimicrobial resistance, including the all-important resistance to antibiotics. Following statements from the World Health Organisation…