A pilot study conducted by Reem Shomar under the supervision of ‪Prof. Abdelraouf Elmanama at the Islamic University of Gaza on two hospitals demonstrates that anti-microbial resistant bacteria are found in the tap water, on the surfaces, and in the wastewater that leaves the hospital. These ‘superbugs’ mean that antibiotics no longer work, and routine wounds become life-threatening injuries if exposed to unsafe WASH services. In a place where thousands of wounds are treated every day and the water has been unsafe to drink for decades, the need for effective interventions and policy is urgent. This upcoming webinar, hosted by the Global Health Institute at the American University of Beirut (GHI-AUB), will discuss the study findings and its implications.

Speakers:

• Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah, Director of the GHI Conflict Medicine Program (CMP), American University of Beirut
• Dr. Mark Zeitoun, Professor at the Water Security Research Centre, University of East Anglia
• Ms. Reem Shomar, Fellow at the Center for Research and Education in the Ecology of War (CREEW) at GHI-AUB and a PhD student at a joint program in Gaza
• Dr. Antoine Abou Fayad, Assistant Professor at the Department of Experimental Pathology, Immunology, and Microbiology, American University of Beirut

Agenda:

– 12:00 PM (Beirut Time):

Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah | The Center for Research and Education in the Ecology of War

– 12:15 PM (Beirut Time):

Dr. Mark Zeitoun | WASH and AMR in an Ecology of War (WAMREW)

– 12:30 PM (Beirut Time):

Ms. Reem Shomar | Anti-Microbial Resistance in Conflict: A pilot study in Gaza

– 01:15 PM (Beirut Time):

Dr. Antoine Abou Fayad | Implications of AMR in Gaza