Antimicrobial resistance is one of the major global health threats of our time, creating significant challenges for health care, economic stability, and public well-being. A silent pandemic, it undoes decades of medical progress by making essential drugs ineffective against infection.

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, observed from November 18th to 24th, offers a greatly needed platform for building awareness, stakeholder engagement, and the call for an action-packed response. This year, the theme is “Educate. Advocate. Act Now,” focusing on three critical ways to address AMR: education, advocacy, and the taking of immediate action.

Making sense of the AMR crisis

AMR arises when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites develop ways of surviving the action of antimicrobial medicines designed to kill or inhibit them. This includes antibiotics, antivirals, and antifungals. Several factors are driving this resistance due to the overuse and inappropriate use of these important medicines in human medicine, agriculture, and the community. The WHO projects that if left unchecked, AMR will lead to 10 million deaths annually by 2050, which will cost the global economy US$100 trillion.

The consequences are that common infections become untreatable, surgeries carry more risks, and even chemotherapy, for example, is compromised.

Educate: Building Knowledge to Foster Responsible Practices

Education is a core activity in prevention and management. A clear understanding by health professionals of the seriousness of AMR, patients, and communities is required regarding both the problem and the measures that will help stem its impact. Educational campaigns are needed on the following:

  • Healthcare Professionals: The curricula for training should focus on proper antimicrobial prescribing, infection prevention, and other stewardship practices. Providers shall be properly prepared to determine whether an infection is viral or bacterial and should refrain from using antibiotics when not needed.
  • Public Education: This would involve the community outreach programs where the general public can be educated on self-medication risks, completion of full courses of medication prescribed, and basic hygiene practices to reduce the risks of infection.
  • Educational Establishments: Embedding AMR education into the school curriculum will ensure a future generation that is informed on the principles of responsible antimicrobial use and infection control.

Advocate: Driving policy and institutional commitment

Advocacy will be instrumental in mending policies, mobilizing resources, and keeping the issue of AMR at the top of national and international agendas. Some key areas for advocacy include:

  • The Development and Enforcement of NAPs: In line with the WHO Global Action Plan on AMR, these need to be prioritized by governments. Antimicrobial stewardship, surveillance, and research funding should be included in these action plans.
  • One Health Approach: This is a global collaboration that involves cooperation among human, animal, and environmental health sectors. In light of the increasingly grave AMR problem, such an approach is important. Advocacy will help in facilitating cross-border collaboration in sharing best practices, data, and resources.
  • Private Sector Engagement: Accountability is needed from pharmaceutical companies for developing new antimicrobials and diagnostic tools and from agricultural industries. Policymakers should provide incentives along with regulating the use of antimicrobials in agriculture.
  • Non-Governmental Organizations: NGOs and civil society organizations can enable the needs and concerns of poorer and vulnerable populations, who will be most affected by AMR, to be heard louder. Their efforts would ensure access to effective antimicrobials and infection control measures equitably.

Take Action Now: Short-Term Actions for Impact

Delaying action against AMR is not an option any longer. Stakeholders must take decisive steps that may reduce immediate and long-term consequences of resistance. Practical actions include:

  • Strengthening Surveillance Systems: Reliable data on AMR patterns and antimicrobial consumption is an essential element in informed decision-making. Governments should invest in laboratory infrastructure and data collection mechanisms.
  • Antimicrobial Stewardship: Hospitals and clinics should establish stewardship programs to optimize the use of antimicrobials. This includes a multidisciplinary team dedicated to overseeing prescriptions, educating staff where needed, and minimizing unnecessary exposure to antimicrobials.
  • Improvement of Infection Prevention and Control: Effective IPC, which includes measures such as hand hygiene, sanitation, and vaccination, minimizes the spread of infections and, subsequently, the need for antimicrobials.
  • Fostering Research and Innovation: Increasing funds for research into new antimicrobials, including alternatives like bacteriophages and rapid diagnostic tools. Public-private partnerships may accelerate innovation while ensuring affordability.
  • Regulate Antimicrobial Use in Agriculture: The inappropriate liberal use of antibiotics for animal husbandry and fisheries is rated as the top contributor to AMR. These need strict regulations with the adoption of sustainable farming practices.
  • Community Engagement Should Be Mobilized: Grassroots movements and community health programs empower people to lead in the prevention of AMR. This can be furthered through local leaders, faith-based organizations, and influencers.

The Role of Healthcare Institutions

Healthcare institutions are on the front line in AMR. They must show the way by adopting best practices with evidence, investing in personnel training, and providing access to diagnostic tools. Hospitals would join hands with the public health authority in disseminating campaigns of awareness of AMR during WAAW.

Besides, deploying digital technologies to enhance surveillance should be considered, telemedicine to avoid unnecessary use of antibiotics, and AI-driven decision-support systems for guiding appropriate prescribing behaviors. These innovations can help bridge major gaps in resources and expertise that occur particularly in LMICs, which bear a disproportionate burden of AMR.

The Economic Imperative

The economic cost of inaction with respect to AMR is staggering. The health care systems bear additional costs related to extended hospitalization, higher rates of intensive care, and the utilization of last-resort antibiotics. Investment in containment measures related to AMR bears resource costs at the front but can yield substantial returns through the avoidance of these downstream costs. Healthcare, pharmaceutical, and agricultural companies have to consider sustainable practices as an investment rather than a cost. Moving in step with global strategies on AMR reduces risk and builds corporate reputation and trust with consumers.

Conclusion: Call to Action

World AMR Awareness Week 2024 urges everyone to “Educate. Advocate. Act Now” since the window for effective action is narrowing. In fighting AMR, collaboration is required at all levels—government, healthcare providers, industries, and the community—through educational priority policy reforms. Taking immediate action against the problem will retard the pathways toward AMR and protect the effectiveness of life-saving antimicrobials.

There should be no mistaking at this golden moment of involving full commitment from leadership in the healthcare, policymakers, and citizenship to constitute their commitment toward the fight against AMR. The steps taken today will determine whether or not future generations inherit a world where infections are manageable or one wherein routine ailments become life-threatening. Commit us instead to making World AMR Awareness Week not some yearly observance but rather a catalyst for enduring change.

Dr. Prahlada N.B
MBBS (JJMMC), MS (PGIMER, Chandigarh). 
MBA (BITS, Pilani), MHA, 
Executive Programme in Strategic Management (IIM, Lucknow)
Senior Management Programme in Healthcare Management (IIM, Kozhikode)
Postgraduate Certificate in Technology Leadership and Innovation (MIT, USA)
Advanced Certificate in AI for Digital Health and Imaging Program (IISc, Bengaluru). 

Senior Professor and former Head, 
Department of ENT-Head & Neck Surgery, Skull Base Surgery, Cochlear Implant Surgery. 
Basaveshwara Medical College & Hospital, Chitradurga, Karnataka, India. 

My Vision: I don’t want to be a genius.  I want to be a person with a bundle of experience. 

My Mission: Help others achieve their life’s objectives in my presence or absence!

My Values:  Creating value for others. 

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