Why does antimicrobial resistance matter?

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) threatens progress of many sustainable development goals and requires urgent action from a variety of actors, including from human health, food production, environmental, and veterinary sectors.
The misuse of antimicrobial drugs is accelerating AMR. The more antibiotics and other medicines we consume, the more likely bacteria and other microbes are to develop resistances, making AMR one of the most urgent threats to modern medicine and humanity overall.

Download the toolkit to learn key facts on antimicrobial resistance.

How Resistance Occurs

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when microbes, such as bacteria, evolve the ability to survive exposure to medicines previously used to treat them.

Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Are Spreading

Antibiotics that were once effective in treating bacterial infections are now becoming ineffective, increasing the risk of infection, severe illness and death. Every year there are already thousands of people dying due to AMR.

The Role of Stewardship

Antimicrobial Stewardship can promote responsible use of antimicrobial drugs in human medicine, veterinary medicine, and agriculture to help combat antimicrobial resistance and preserve drug effectiveness around the globe. 

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