A GLOBAL and local public health threat, antimicrobial resistance is also a development challenge. AMR occurs when bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi become resistant to antimicrobial medicines that are used to treat infections. As a result, antibiotics become ineffective and infections increasingly difficult to treat.

AMR in Pakistan is driven by the indiscriminate use of antimicrobials in humans and animals. One study shows an increase of 65 per cent from 2000 and 2010 in the use of antibiotics. The Covid pandemic also saw an upsurge in the use of antimicrobial drugs for treating related syndromes.

AMR caused at least 1.27 million deaths globally in 2019. It has been on the global policy agenda since 2009. However, efforts to accelerate action on AMR got underway in earnest with the publication of the WHO-led global action plans in 2015. In line with the global action plan, states framed their own national action plans. Sadly, progress on the implementation of these plans has been glacial.

Implementation efforts were further set back by the pandemic, which not only diluted the focus on AMR but also diverted scarce health funds to the Covid response in low-income countries.

Antimicrobial resistance caused at least 1.27m........

© Dawn