WHO launches latest campaign against AMR

Published on 06/28/2019

The World Health Organization (WHO), recently launched the AWaRe online portal. Designed to raise the proportion of global antibiotics in the Access group to at least 60%, while reducing the use of those most at risk of resistance.

“Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most urgent health risks of our time.” Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO, recently reported while calling on governments to adopt AWaRe. “All countries must strike a balance between ensuring access to life-saving antibiotics and slowing drug resistance by reserving the use of some antibiotics for the hardest-to-treat infections.”

The importance of AWaRe is underscored by WHO’s estimate that over half of antibiotics in many countries are administered inappropriately, including being prescribed the wrong antibiotic, or to treat viral infections. 

In 2015, there were 671,689 infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria recorded in the EU. In selected low- and middle-income countries, the proportion of resistant infections ranges from 40-60% compared to an average of 17% for OECD countries. Superbug infections could cost the lives of around 2.4 million people in Europe, North America and Australia over the next 30 years if no action is taken

Click here to learn more about WHO’s AWaRe program and online portal ►

Published in the following categories: Clinical Infectious Disease WHO AMR NGO / Humanitarian STI