Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health and development threat: WHO Report

 Important Points:

• Requirement of Urgent multisectoral order to achieve sustainable development goal.
• Overuse and misuse of AMR has resulted in the development of drug-resistant pathogens.
• Lack of clean water and sanitation and inadequate infection prevention and control promotes the spread of microbes, some of which can be resistant to antimicrobial treatment.
• The cost of AMR to the economy is significant.In addition to death and disability, prolonged illness results in longer hospital stays, the need for more expensive medicines and financial challenges for those impacted.
• Without effective antimicrobials,the success of modern medicine in treating infections, including during major surgery and cancer chemotherapy, would be at increased risk.

What is AMR? 

AMR stands for Anti-microbial Resistance. Antimicrobials – include antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics. These medicines are used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants.

What is AMR resistance?

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. 

As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective and infections become increasingly difficult or impossible to treat.

AMR as Global Concern?

Antibiotics are becoming increasingly ineffective as drug-resistance spreads globally leading to more difficult to treat infections and death. New antibacterials are urgently needed – for example, to treat carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacterial infections as identified in the WHO priority pathogen list. However, if people do not change the way antibiotics are used now, these new antibiotics will suffer the same fate as the current ones and become ineffective.

AMR occurs naturally over time, usually through genetic changes. Antimicrobial resistant organisms are found in people, animals, food, plants and the environment (in water, soil and air). They can spread from person to person or between people and animals, including from food of animal origin. The main drivers of antimicrobial resistance include the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials; lack of access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for both humans and animals; poor infection and disease prevention and control in health-care facilities and farms;  poor access to quality, affordable medicines, vaccines and diagnostics; lack of awareness and knowledge; and lack of enforcement of legislation.   

Action Required/Taken by WHO in the Report:

• Need for coordinated action

AMR is a complex problem that requires a united multisectoral approach. The One Health approach brings together multiple sectors and stakeholders engaged in human, terrestrial and aquatic animal and plant health, food and feed production and the environment to communicate and work together in the design and implementation of programmes, policies, legislation and research to attain better public health outcomes.  

• Need for Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (GAP)
• World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW)

WAAW was previously called World Antibiotic Awareness Week. Since 2020, it has been called World Antimicrobial Awareness Week.

• The Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS)

WHO launched the Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) in 2015 to continue filling knowledge gaps and to inform strategies at all levels.

• Global Research and Development priority setting for AMR

In 2017, to guide research and development into new antimicrobials, diagnostics and vaccines, WHO developed the WHO priority pathogens list.