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WHAT IS AMR?

What is antimicrobial resistance? 

Antimicrobials are a type of medicine used to treat infections in humans, animals and plants. They include antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics.1
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) happens when bacteria and other microbes evolve in a way that makes drugs ineffective against them.2 Antibiotic-resistant infections occur when antibiotics no longer work against certain strains of bacteria.1 They are difficult to treat and cure,2 and can lead to life-threatening conditions like sepsis (the body’s extreme reaction to an infection).3 Without effective antibiotics, even simple medical procedures could become high-risk.1 Antibiotics are used throughout our lives, treating infections and ensuring we can have common and life-saving procedures like chemotherapy, caesareans, organ transplants and other surgeries.1

AMR is not a future problem, it is with us today

AMR is a problem for all of us – regardless of age or geography and puts a lot of pressure on healthcare systems and economies.1

AMR is not a future problem, it is with us today2

AMR is a problem for all of us – regardless of age or geography and puts a lot of pressure on healthcare systems and economies.1

Anyone can get a drug-resistant infection,4 which can lead to feelings of anxiety, discomfort and isolation, along with the physical burden of managing a chronic infection.5

Globally

4.95 million people died from AMR-related causes in 2019.6

Brazil

137,900 AMR-related deaths in 2019. That is higher than the number of deaths from diabetes, kidney disease and lung disease.7

UK

35,200 AMR-related deaths in 2019.8

US

More than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections and 35,000 AMR-related deaths per year.9

WHAT CAUSES AMR?

AMR happens naturally but is sped up by many different factors.

Incorrect use of antibiotics, such as:

Using antibiotics to treat viruses (e.g. for common colds, runny noses, most sore throats and the flu)10

Not taking antibiotics exactly as prescribed (e.g. not finishing the full course because you start to feel better)11

Using antibiotics saved from a previous illness10 

Overuse or misuse of antibiotics in farm animals, which drives AMR in humans (and vice versa)12

Other factors, such as:

General lack of awareness about AMR1

Lack of clean water, sanitation and hygiene1

Poor infection prevention practices (e.g. hand washing in healthcare facilities)1

Limited access to and/or insufficient use of medicines, vaccines and diagnostics1

Transmission of AMR with international travel13

Climate change, which increases the spread of infectious diseases14
TAKE ACTION

WHAT CAUSES AMR?

AMR happens naturally but is sped up by many different factors.

Incorrect use of antibiotics, such as:

Using antibiotics to treat viruses (e.g. for common colds, runny noses, most sore throats and the flu)10

Not taking antibiotics exactly as prescribed (e.g. not finishing the full course because you start to feel better)11

Using antibiotics saved from a previous illness10

Overuse or misuse of antibiotics in farm animals, which drives AMR in humans (and vice versa)12

Other factors, such as:

General lack of awareness about AMR1

Lack of clean water, sanitation and hygiene1

Poor infection prevention practices (e.g. hand washing in healthcare facilities)1

Limited access to and/or insufficient use of medicines, vaccines and diagnostics1

Transmission of AMR with international travel13

Climate change, which increases the spread of infectious diseases14

TAKE ACTION
  1. World Health Organization. Antimicrobial resistance. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antimicrobial-resistance [Accessed November 2024]. 
  2. Wellcome. (2024). Antimicrobial resistance: it’s time for global action. Available from: https://wellcome.org/what-we-do/infectious-disease/antimicrobial-resistance  [Accessed November 2024]. 
  3. Sepsis Alliance. Power the AMRevolution. (2024). Available from: https://www.sepsis.org/power-the-amrevolution/ [Accessed November 2024].
  4. Wellcome. (2024). What is antimicrobial resistance – and how we prevent it? Available from: https://wellcome.org/news/what-antimicrobial-resistance-and-how-do-we-prevent-it [Accessed November 2024]. 
  5. Hamilton, R.A. et al. (2024). Understanding the lived-experience and support-needs of people living with antimicrobial resistance in the UK through interpretative phenomenological analysis. Sci Rep 14. 3403. Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-53814-6 [Accessed November 2024]. 
  6. Murray, C.J.L. et al. (2022).  Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis. The Lancet. 399 (10325): 629 – 655. Available from: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02724-0/fulltext [Accessed November 2024]. 
  7. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. The burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Brazil. Available from: https://www.healthdata.org/sites/default/files/2023-09/Brazil.pdf [Accessed November 2024]. 
  8. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. The burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the UK. Available from: https://www.healthdata.org/sites/default/files/2023-09/United_Kingdom.pdf [Accessed November 2024]. 
  9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Antibiotic resistance threats in the United States. Available from: https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/82532 [Accessed November 2024]. 
  10. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Healthy habits: antibiotic do’s and don’ts. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/about/index.html  [Accessed November 2024]. 
  11. Mayo Clinic. Antibiotics: are you misusing them? Available from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/antibiotics/art-20045720 [Accessed November 2024]. 
  12. Joi, P. (2023). Antimicrobial use in animals can drive resistance in people, and vice versa. Gavi. Available from: https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/antimicrobial-use-animals-can-drive-resistance-people-and-vice-versa [Accessed November 2024]. 
  13. Bokhary, H. et al. (2021). Travel-Related Antimicrobial Resistance: A Systematic Review. Trop Med Infect Dis. 6(1):11. Available from: https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/6/1/11 [Accessed November 2024]. 
  14. Magnano San Lio, R. et al. (2023). How Antimicrobial Resistance Is Linked to Climate Change: An Overview of Two Intertwined Global Challenges. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 17; 20 (3):1681. Available from: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/3/1681 [Accessed November 2024].