Resistance to commonly used antimicrobials, including antibiotics, is a global health challenge that poses grave risks to the public.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when disease-causing germs stop responding to frequently prescribed antimicrobial medicines. It jeopardizes our ability to treat common infections, increases the cost of treatment, and disrupts the progress we have made in combating diseases, posing a grave challenge to our communities, health systems, and economies.
Every year, the international community observes World AMR Awareness Week from 18 to 24 November to raise awareness of the risks posed by the inappropriate use of antimicrobial medicines in humans, animals, and crops and encourage their responsible use to reduce the emergence and spread of AMR.
This year's theme, “Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance Together,” calls for urgent multisectoral action in the context of the One Health approach to preserve the efficacy of antimicrobial medicines.