Antimicrobial resistance
Once likened to a slow-moving tsunami,
now advancing swiftly and fiercely,
demanding urgent action.
What is AMR?
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is when micro-organisms bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites—resist drugs that used to be effective at treating them.
-
Why does it matter?
Micro-organisms are becoming stronger and more resilient, and replacement antimicrobials are rare. Many of today's medical treatments all of which rely on antibiotics to control infection may become impossible. -
Who does it affect?
AMR affects people and animals. It's present in all parts of the world and can affect any person, of any age or fitness level, in any country. -
When will it happen?
It's happening now. It is estimated that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019, and indirectly contributed to 4.95 million deaths. By 2050 AMR could be responsible for 10 million deaths per year and $100 trillion in lost output. -
How does AMR impact the global economy?
In addition to death and disability, AMR has significant economic costs. The World Bank estimates that AMR could result in US$ 1 trillion additional healthcare costs by 2050, and US$ 1 trillion to US$ 3.4 trillion gross domestic product (GDP) losses per year by 2030.
AMR Causes Today
Each year, an estimated 7.7 million deaths are associated with bacterial infections
Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis. Lancet. 2022;399:629–655.
Rising AMR rates have been documented over the past two decades. Projections from high-income countries predict that resistance to third-line antibiotics and last-resort drugs could be 2.1 times higher in 2035 compared to rates seen in 2005.
In the U.S., more than
2.8 million +
antibiotic resistant infections occur each year.
- Canada 14000 deaths and AMR hospital costs were estimated to be $1.4 billion in 2018
- 28.3 Million antimicrobial prescriptions in Canada in 2013
- 202,000 Kg of active ingredient used each year
- 23406640 antibiotic prescriptions were dispensed nationally
- The estimated cost to the Canadian health care system in 2018 was $1.4B, with a reduction to Canada’s GDP of $2.0B
Why do bacteria become antibiotic resistant?
Over use and misuse of medications by patients
Antibiotics neutralized and rendered ineffective
Change on cellular structure prevent antibiotics from attaching to cell wall
Genetic material mutation, so antibiotics can’t recognize bacteria
Antibiotic expelled out before damage can be done (efflux pumps)
Defined:
what are the different
types of resistance?
Antibiotic resistance
When bacteria changes in a way that makes antibiotics ineffective.
Antimicrobial resistance
When microbes, such as bacteria, fungi or viruses, change in a way that makes the drugs used to treat them ineffective.
Drug-resistant infections
The illnesses that are caused by resistant microbes, resulting in an infection that is much harder – or potentially impossible – to treat.