WHO Director-General: Antimicrobial resistance crisis is happening

Tedros said that what we are discussing now is not just the risk of people dying from superbug infections, but that 1.3 million people are actually dying from it every year.

He said that the Political Declaration on Antimicrobial Resistance adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September this year set clear goals. The current task is to translate them into concrete actions, especially the following three priorities: 1) Increase sustainable financing from domestic and international sources; 2) Increase research, development and innovation to address the problem of “exhaustion of research and development on antimicrobial resistance”; 3) Increase equitable access to high-quality antimicrobial drugs while ensuring their rational use.

“The irony of antimicrobial resistance is that it is driven by the inappropriate use of antimicrobials at the same time that so many people are dying because they don’t have access to these medicines,” Tedros said.

Tedros stressed that antimicrobial resistance “is happening right now, but the solutions are also in our hands.” He called on all stakeholders to seize the opportunity presented by the Jeddah meeting to accelerate action and commit to stronger collaboration to protect the medicines that protect us.”

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial drugs. As drug resistance renders antibiotics and other antimicrobial treatments ineffective, it becomes more difficult, or potentially impossible, to treat infections. This can lead to the emergence of superbugs that cannot be suppressed by the first-choice drugs used to treat these pathogens, increasing the risk of disease spread, disability and death.

Beyond health

Al-Balkh, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said that antimicrobial resistance is not just an issue covered by the health-related Sustainable Development Goal 3. In fact, the antimicrobial resistance agenda involves at least 11 of the world’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals , covering areas ranging from food production to equity.

This is why cross-sectoral dialogues like the Jeddah meeting are crucial, she noted, “because it reminds stakeholders working on other SDGs that antimicrobial resistance should not be forgotten on your agenda.”

She also said the Jeddah meeting was about building partnerships, sharing experiences and better understanding of how to communicate, adding that even if there is a slight bend in the curve of efforts in this area, “it will be a huge achievement.”