Abstract:
Antimicrobials are a scarce resource that is used every day to treat infectious diseases in humans
and animals. Unfortunately, the actions (and inactions!) by human beings have resulted in
antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR has been recognized as a global threat to society in terms of
its impact on public health and risk to the economy. Infectious diseases and AMR have been
spreading fast from one part of the globe to the other due to travel, globalization, and changes in the
environment. AMR is becoming a growing threat to the effective prevention and treatment of a
wide range of infectious diseases caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi. It is feared that
even simple and treatable infections and injuries in humans and animals may kill and the world will
return to the pre-antibiotic era. This calls for action and coordination of efforts at the local, national,
regional, and global levels and for multi-institutional and multidisciplinary approaches to the
prevention and containment of not only infectious diseases but also AMR. Although we cannot
eradicate AMR, we can contain it to a manageable level.
