Antimicrobial Resistance
Global AMR strategies exist, but most lack funding and action.
Although 178 countries have antimicrobial resistance (AMR) action plans, only 27% report effective implementation and just 11% have allocated budgets. Resistance to key antibiotics like third-generation cephalosporins and methicillin is rising, and data gaps obscure true trends. Cross-sector coordination and investment are urgently needed.
Insights
Political: Commitments to tackle AMR often lack funding and enforcement, with governance gaps remaining in many regions.
Economic: Rising resistance increases treatment costs, hospital stays, and mortality, with the highest burden in low-resource and fragile health systems.
Social: Low public awareness and poor prescribing practices contribute to antibiotic misuse.
Technological: Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) offers valuable tools to track AMR, but infrastructure remains weak—particularly in lower-income countries.
Legal: Few countries enforce restrictions on antibiotic misuse in humans, animals, or agriculture, contributing to overuse and under-regulation.
Environmental: Resistant organisms circulate through water, soil, and food chains—linking AMR to broader environmental degradation and climate change.
Reflective Questions
How can cross-sector financing models help turn national AMR plans into effective, on-the-ground action?
What innovations could strengthen resistance surveillance and promote responsible antimicrobial use across all levels of the health system?
How can legal frameworks better connect human, animal, and environmental health to help curb the spread of antimicrobial resistance?
Related Insight Cards
References:
World Health Organization, 2023. Antimicrobial resistance: accelerating national and global responses. WHO strategic and operational priorities to address drug-resistant bacterial infections in the human health sector, 2025–2035. Report by the Director-General. Geneva: World Health Organization. EB154/13. Available at: https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB154/B154_13-en.pdf
World Health Organization, n.d. Global antimicrobial resistance and use surveillance system (GLASS). The global health observatory [online database]. Geneva: World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/global-antimicrobial-resistance-surveillance-system-glass
