Antimicrobial Resistance: Implementing an Effective Response for a Growing Global Health Threat

The growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major public health challenge. The rising prevalence of resistant microbes increases the risk of spreading infectious diseases. Although AMR has gained global attention in recent years, public health experts are still faced with the challenge of implementing effective policies and programmes to combat the threat. The aim of this review was to examine the global health threat and significance of AMR. The review explores the public health impact of AMR and the drivers of its spread as well as the current strategies used in combating the problem. The paper also critically analyses the existing public health response, policies and legislations and offers possible future directions for a more effective response. Google and Google Scholar search engines as well as the PubMed database were searched to identify literature concerning the global impact of AMR as well as the public health response and the current control strategies. Websites of the World Health Organization and similar organisations were also searched. The key search terms used were ‘antimicrobial resistance’, ‘global health’, ‘impact’ and ‘response’. The review findings highlighted the challenges and gaps in the current response ranging from inadequate implementation of national plans due to poor commitment to a lack of surveillance data. Other challenges include the multifactorial drivers of AMR, changing trends and diverse geographical patterns of some of these factors. This article was able to emphasise the urgent need for a coordinated global plan, multi-sectoral collaboration among key stakeholders, including embracing a One Health approach to address the use of antimicrobials in agricultural practices for food production. The control of AMR requires a more uniform and guided response for more effective AMR action.