Antimicrobial resistance: A pandemic long ignored

Antimicrobial resistance could gain the same global reputation as Covid-19 if it is not addressed urgently.

Antimicrobials, the backbone of modern medicine, have been aptly described as the “magic bullet”. However, antimicrobial resistance (AMR)—directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths in 2019—is threatening to curb this progress. AMR occurs when a microorganism such as bacteria, viruses, and some parasites prevents an antimicrobial (such as antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitic agents) from working against it. If AMR were to persist, the World Health Organization (WHO) cautions, “many common infections will no longer have a cure and, once again, could kill unabated.”