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Antimicrobial resistance

    Overview

    Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi.

    AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others.

    Antimicrobials - including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics - are medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants. Microorganisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes referred to as “superbugs”.

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    Latest publications

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    Accelerating optimal approval of priority formulations for antibiotic use in children: meetings report, 7 December 2023 and 19-20 March 2024

    On 24 March 2023, WHO launched the first-ever list of priority paediatric formulations for antibiotics, addressing critical gaps in age-appropriate treatments...

    WHO training package on environmental cleaning: evaluation methodology guide

    This guide provides a framework for evaluating the WHO training package, Environmental cleaning and infection prevention and control in health-care facilities...

    WHO guideline on the prevention and diagnosis of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease

    Rheumatic fever (RF) and Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) are a preventable public health problem in low- and middle-income countries and in marginalized...

    Antimicrobial Resistance Curriculum Assessment Tool for Medical Education

    The Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) calls for making AMR a core component of professional education and training. In 2018, the World...

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    Documents

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    Quadripartite Youth Working Group members posing for a photograph at the UNEP in Nairobi

    The Quadripartite agencies – the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health...

    Bangladesh has been committed to tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) since 2017, with the development of the first National Action Plan for AMR Containment...

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