Antimicrobial resistance has been named by the World Health Organization as one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity. Antimicrobial-resistant infections are estimated to have killed at least 1.27 million people worldwide and were associated with nearly 5 million deaths in 2019. It’s estimated that growing antimicrobial resistance has the potential to kill 10 million people globally per year by 2050.
The One Health approach
One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimise the health of people, animals and ecosystems. It recognises that the health of humans, domestic animals, plants and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and interdependent.
Successful public health interventions require the cooperation of human, animal, and environmental health partners. Professionals in human health (doctors, nurses, public health practitioners, epidemiologists), animal health (veterinarians, paraprofessionals, agricultural workers), environment (ecologists, wildlife experts), and other areas of expertise need to communicate, collaborate on and coordinate activities. No one person, organisation or sector can address issues at the animal-human-environment interface alone.
One Health
What is antimicrobial resistance (AMR)?
Resistance happens when harmful germs (bacteria and fungi) defeat the drugs designed to kill them. Any antibiotic use – in people, animals or crops – can lead to resistance. Resistant germs are a One Health problem – they can spread between people, animals and the environment (for example, water and soil).
Antibiotics and antifungals save lives, but their use can contribute to the development of resistant germs. Antimicrobial resistance is accelerated when the presence of antibiotics and antifungals pressure bacteria and fungi to adapt.
Antibiotics and antifungals kill some germs that cause infections, but they also kill helpful germs that protect our body from infection. The antimicrobial-resistant germs survive and multiply. These surviving germs have resistance traits in their DNA that can spread to other germs.
Antimicrobial resistance – planning pathways
Use this interactive to discover a range of resources about microorganisms and antimicrobial resistance. Select a label for more information.
Go here for further information, including the transcript.
x
