Toward Superbug-Free SocietiesHuman health
Resistant infections can make common treatment more difficult and increase the burden on patients and health systems.
Animal health
Antimicrobial use and resistant organisms connect veterinary care, livestock and food systems.
Environment
Water, wastewater, soil and waste can carry antimicrobials and resistant organisms between settings.
How resistance can spread
Between people and care settings
Contact, travel, healthcare and shared environments can connect transmission pathways.
Across food, water and ecosystems
One Health surveillance helps reveal links that a single sector cannot see alone.
Through antimicrobial pressure
Inappropriate or excessive use can select for resistant organisms.
Prevention and surveillance
- Use antimicrobials only when needed and as directed.
- Prevent infection through hygiene, vaccination and safer care.
- Collect consistent laboratory and epidemiological data.
- Share signals quickly so teams can investigate and act.
The scale of the silent pandemic
Figures published by WHO, CDC and the United Nations and cited in the SAIR programme documents.
700,000+
Deaths annually (WHO)
10 million
Projected deaths by 2050
$100 trillion
Projected economic loss (30 years)
$55 billion
Annual US cost (CDC)
Why misuse happens
Patients
Taking medication without prescription, using antibiotics for non-bacterial conditions such as cold and influenza, and not completing the treatment course.
Healthcare practitioners
Random dispensing of antibiotics by physicians and pharmacists increases susceptibility to resistance.
Health facilities
Absence of strategic stewardship plans and infection-control programmes worsens the condition.
Agriculture and livestock
Antimicrobial use in animals and food production drives resistance across sectors.
Regulation
Lax pharmacy legislation and weak enforcement allow antimicrobials to be obtained without oversight.
Terms and abbreviations
AGISAR — Advisory Group on Integrated Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance
AMC — Antimicrobial consumption
AMR — Antimicrobial resistance
AMS — Antimicrobial stewardship
AMU — Antimicrobial use
ANIMUSE — Animal antimicrobial use database
AWaRe — Access, Watch and Reserve antibiotic classification
BPPL — Bacterial Priority Pathogen List
CAP — Community-acquired pneumonia
CDSS — Clinical decision support system
CRAB — Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii
DRSP — Drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae
EIOS — Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources
GAP — Global Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance
GARDP — Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership
GLASS — Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System
GLG — Global Leaders Group on AMR
IACG — Interagency Coordination Group on Antimicrobial Resistance
InFARM — International FAO Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring system
MDR — Multidrug resistance
MIC — Minimum inhibitory concentration
M&E — Monitoring and evaluation