Antimicrobial resistance: We need to act now

Antimicrobial drugs are undervalued for their revolutionary impact on human society. Their discovery in the early 20th century corresponds with a dramatic increase in global life expectancy. Where the world average lifespan would endure just 32 years in 1900, this had jumped to 73 by 2020. Thanks to the development of various classes of antimicrobial agents throughout the last century, death at the hands of bacterial infection has become significantly less of a risk.

However, the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria serves to dilute the effectiveness of antimicrobial agents.

With widespread availability of antibiotics, the risk of overuse, or even abuse of antimicrobials as a treatment option for non-bacterial infections has accelerated the ability of microorganisms to acquire resistance to antimicrobials. The use of antibiotics in animal rearing is also contributing to fueling AMR, as well as antimicrobial residues in the environment.