Antimicrobial resistance: action must shift towards prevention

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health problem undermining our ability to treat bacterial infections. Each year, five million deaths are associated with antimicrobial resistance, more than from HIV, TB, and malaria combined.1 As with many communicable diseases, the emergence, transmission, and burden of antimicrobial resistance disproportionately affect the most socially and clinically vulnerable in society; in 2019, children aged under 5 years accounted for one in five deaths because of AMR.2 Moreover, rates of morbidity and mortality associated with AMR are highest in some low and middle income countries, making it a particularly serious concern in the world’s already poorest nations.1