Levels of Actions Against AMR

Everyone has a role to play 🙂

The global health threat posed by antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is growing at an alarming rate, primarily driven by the misuse and overuse of antibiotics and poor infection prevention and control practices. AMR undermines our ability to treat common infectious diseases, making minor infections potentially deadly. A coordinated and multi-level approach is required to reduce the impact of AMR and limit its spread. This involves actions from individuals, policymakers, health professionals, and the healthcare industry.

Individual level

Individuals play a crucial role in combating AMR by taking the following steps to prevent and control the spread of antibiotic resistance:

• Use Antibiotics Responsibly: Only take antibiotics when prescribed by a certified health professional. Avoid demanding antibiotics when they are not needed and always follow the advice of health workers.
• Avoid Misuse of Antibiotics: Never share antibiotics with others or use leftover medications.
• Practice Good Hygiene: Prevent infections by regularly washing hands, maintaining good food hygiene, avoiding close contact with sick individuals, practicing safer sex, and keeping vaccinations up to date.
• Choose Safer Foods: Prepare food hygienically following the WHO’s Five Keys to Safer Food and select foods produced without antibiotics for growth promotion or disease prevention in healthy animals.

Healthcare Provider Level 

Healthcare professionals are on the front lines of the battle against AMR. Their key responsibilities include:

• Prevent Infections: Ensure that hands, instruments, and environments are kept clean to prevent healthcare-associated infections.
• Prescribe Antibiotics Judiciously: Prescribe and dispense antibiotics only when necessary and in line with current clinical guidelines.
• Report Resistant Infections: Communicate antibiotic-resistant infections to national or local surveillance teams to enable better tracking and management.
• Educate Patients: Engage patients in discussions about the correct use of antibiotics, the dangers of misuse, and ways to prevent infections through vaccination, hand hygiene, safer sex practices, and respiratory etiquette.

Healthcare Industry

The healthcare industry must take a proactive role in addressing AMR by:

• Investing in Innovation: Commit to research and development of new antibiotics, vaccines, diagnostics, and other tools to stay ahead of evolving resistant pathogens.
• Ensuring Access and Stewardship: Work towards equitable access to effective treatments and promote antimicrobial stewardship to maintain the effectiveness of existing drugs.

Policy Level

Policymakers are instrumental in shaping a robust global response to AMR. Their actions should include:

• Develop and Implement National Action Plans: Ensure that comprehensive national action plans to tackle AMR are in place and aligned with global strategies.
• Strengthen Surveillance Systems: Improve monitoring and surveillance of antibiotic-resistant infections to inform policy and practice.
• Enforce Strong Policies: Strengthen the implementation of infection prevention and control measures in healthcare settings and communities.
• Regulate Medicine Use: Enforce regulations to ensure the appropriate use and disposal of quality medicines and prevent the circulation of substandard or falsified products.
• Increase Public Awareness: Make information available on the impact of AMR and promote awareness campaigns to educate the public about responsible antibiotic use.

Conclusion

AMR is a global health crisis that requires urgent, sustained, and collaborative efforts across sectors and borders. The actions taken today by individuals, policymakers, health professionals, and the healthcare industry will determine the future impact of AMR on global health, economies, and development. It is essential to act now to ensure that effective antimicrobials remain available for future generations.