title: Applying the emergency risk management process to tackle the crisis of antibiotic resistance.
abstract: We advocate that antibiotic resistance be reframed as a disaster risk management problem. Antibiotic-resistant infections represent a risk to life as significant as other commonly occurring natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes). Despite efforts by global health authorities, antibiotic resistance continues to escalate. Therefore, new approaches and expertise are needed to manage the issue. In this perspective we: (1) make a call for the emergency management community to recognize the antibiotic resistance risk and join in addressing this problem; (2) suggest using the risk management process to help tackle antibiotic resistance; (3) show why this approach has value and why it is different to existing approaches; and (4) identify public perception of antibiotic resistance as an important issue that warrants exploration.
authors.affiliation: Asia - Pacific Natural Hazards and Disaster Risk Research Group, The School of Geosciences, The University of Sydney Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Dale
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dominey-Howes
authors.affiliation: The UTS Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bajorek
authors.affiliation: The School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Carolyn A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Michael
authors.affiliation: Asia - Pacific Natural Hazards and Disaster Risk Research Group, The School of Geosciences, The University of Sydney Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Brittany
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Betteridge
authors.affiliation: Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research and The Marie Bashir Institute, University of Sydney Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Iredell
authors.affiliation: The School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Sydney, NSW, Australia ; The ithree Institute, University of Technology Sydney Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Labbate
keywords: antibiotic resistance; disaster risk; emergency management; risk perception