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What is antimicrobial resistance? AMR occurs when the microorganisms which cause disease (including bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites) are no longer affected by antimicrobial medicines such as antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics that we use to kill them, prevent and treat the disease.
- Key Facts
- Overview
- A Global Concern
- What Is The Present situation?
- Coordinated Global Action to Address Amr
- A Programmatic Response to Amr in Countries
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top global public health and development threats. It is estimated that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and...The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals and plants are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens.AMR affects countries in all regions and at all income levels. Its drivers and consequences are exacerbated by poverty and inequality, and low- and middle-income countries are most affected.AMR puts many of the gains of modern medicine at risk. It makes infections harder to treat and makes other medical procedures and treatments – such as surgery, caesarean sections and cancer chemoth...Antimicrobials – including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics – are medicines used to prevent and treat infectious diseases in humans, animals and plants. Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines. As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics a...
Antimicrobial medicines are the cornerstone of modern medicine.The emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens threatens our ability to treat common infections and to perform life-saving procedures including cancer chemotherapy and caesarean section, hip replacements, organ transplantation and other surgeries. In addition, drug-resistant infec...
Drug-resistance in bacteria
The global rise in antibiotic resistance poses a significant threat, diminishing the efficacy of common antibiotics against widespread bacterial infections. The 2022 Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) report highlights alarming resistance rates among prevalent bacterial pathogens. Median reported rates in 76 countries of 42% for third-generation cephalosporin-resistant E. coli and 35% for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus are a major concern. For uri...
Drug resistance in fungi
As drug-resistant fungal infections increase, WHO is monitoring their magnitude and public health impact. Fungal infections can be difficult to treat, including due to drug-drug interactions for patients with other infections (e.g. HIV). The emergence and spread of multi-drug resistant Candida auris, an invasive fungal infection, is of particular concern. Development of WHO’s Fungal Priority Pathogens List(see below) included a comprehensive review of fungal infections and drug-resistant fung...
Drug resistance in HIV, tuberculosis and malaria
HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) is caused by changes in the HIV genome that affect the ability of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to block the replication of the virus. HIVDR can either be transmitted at the time of infection or acquired because of inadequate adherence to treatment or drug-drug interactions. HIVDR can lead to increased HIV infections and HIV-associated morbidity and mortality. WHO recommends that countries routinely implement HIVDR surveys to inform the selection of optimal ARV drug r...
One Health approach
AMR is a complex problem that requires both sector-specific actions in the human health, food production, animal and environmental sectors, and a coordinated approach across these sectors. One Health refers to an integrated, unifying approach that aims to achieve optimal and sustainable health outcomes for people, animals and ecosystems. It recognizes that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants and the wider environment are closely linked and inter-dependent. The One Health a...
Global Action Plan (GAP) on Antimicrobial Resistance
To address AMR globally, countries adopted the Global Action Plan (GAP) on AMRduring the 2015 World Health Assembly and committed to the development and implementation of multisectoral national action plans with a One Health approach to tackle AMR. The GAP was subsequently endorsed by the Governing Bodies of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, formerly known as OIE) and the United Nations Environment Program.
Quadripartite Joint Secretariat on Antimicrobial Resistance
To coordinate the One Health global response to AMR, WHO works closely with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). The 4 organizations (FAO, UNEP, WHO and WOAH) are known as the Quadripartite. A quadripartite joint secretariat is hosted by WHO to drive multi-stakeholder engagement in AMR. This has supported establishment of the Global Leaders Group on AMR, which began its work...
AMR national action plans
As of November 2023, 178 countries had developed AMR national action plans aligned with the GAP. To ensure sustained progress, countries need to establish a functioning multisectoral AMR governance mechanism, prioritize activities, develop a costed operational plan, mobilize resources (both domestic and external), and effectively implement their plan. Monitoring mechanisms are needed to track progress, identify challenges and report periodically. To globally track the progress in AMR national...
The people-centred approach and WHO core package of interventions
To address AMR in a programmatic manner that puts people, their needs and equitable access to health services at the centre of the AMR response in the community, in primary care, secondary and tertiary care, and at national and/or subnational level, WHO has developed the People-centred approach to addressing antimicrobial resistance in human healthand WHO core package of interventions to support national action plans. This focuses on preventing infections and ensuring universal access to heal...
Antimicrobial stewardship and AWaRe
Antimicrobial stewardship is a systematic approach to educate and support health care professionals to follow evidence-based guidelines for prescribing and administering antimicrobials. The education of the health workforce is of crucial importance, as they form the front line in safeguarding the effectiveness of antimicrobial medicines. WHO guides countries to develop and implement Antimicrobial Stewardship Programmes as one of the most cost-effective interventions to optimize the use of ant...
AMR is a naturally occurring process but, more recently, human activities have worsened this natural phenomenon and driven the AMR crisis as we know it. This has happened for several reasons including the overuse or improper use of antimicrobials in humans, animals and plants; poor infection prevention and control practices; and a lack of new antimicrobial drugs being developed.
Sep 19, 2024 · Antimicrobial resistance refers to microorganisms no longer responding to antimicrobial medicine such as antibiotics. This is a natural phenomenon that occurs over time through genetic changes in the microorganisms. AMR is strongly accelerated by inappropriate use of antimicrobial medicine. AMR happens when microorganisms such as bacteria ...
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines. This makes infections harder to treat and increases the risk of disease spreading, severe illness and death. Antimicrobial medicines are used to prevent and treat infections. Types of antimicrobial medicines include: antibiotics. antivirals.
Sep 25, 2024 · Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an invisible killer, which is directly responsible for 1.3 million deaths and a contributing factor to five million other fatalities every year. Everyone seems to have had a family member or friend who has either gotten seriously ill or died due to acquiring an infection that did not respond to prescribed medicines, and the underlying reason was often ...
Nov 14, 2023 · The global theme for the 4th World AMR Week is “Preventing antimicrobial resistance together” - keeping with the objective of addressing AMR in a coordinated, multi-stakeholder, multidisciplinary and inclusive manner. Antimicrobial resistance is a growing public health crisis that requires a coordinated, global effort to combat it, say experts.
