London, July 24: Leading healthcare experts have renewed calls for urgent international action to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR), warning that the growing spread of drug resistant bacteria could undermine decades of medical progress if left unchecked.
During a global health forum held this week, researchers highlighted that the misuse and overuse of antibiotics in both human healthcare and agriculture remain among the biggest contributors to antimicrobial resistance. They cautioned that many common bacterial infections are becoming increasingly difficult to treat with existing medicines.
Public health specialists said antimicrobial resistance is emerging as one of the most serious long-term threats to global healthcare, increasing hospital stays, treatment costs and mortality rates. Resistant infections also complicate surgeries, cancer treatments and organ transplants, where effective antibiotics play a critical role.
Experts urged governments to strengthen antibiotic stewardship programmes, improve laboratory surveillance and invest in research aimed at developing new antimicrobial drugs and rapid diagnostic technologies. They also stressed the importance of educating healthcare professionals and the public about the responsible use of antibiotics.
International health agencies are encouraging countries to expand infection prevention measures, including better sanitation, vaccination coverage and hospital infection-control practices. These steps, they said, can significantly reduce the need for antibiotics and slow the development of resistant pathogens.
Researchers also called for greater collaboration between governments, pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions to accelerate innovation in antimicrobial therapies. Financial incentives for developing new antibiotics were identified as a key priority, given the limited commercial investment in the field.
Health officials concluded that antimicrobial resistance requires coordinated global action similar to other major public health challenges. Without sustained investment and stronger policies, experts warned that routine infections could become increasingly difficult to treat in the years ahead.