WHO Warns: Drug-Resistant Infections Rising as AMR Threat Intensifies Globally

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is accelerating worldwide, weakening the effectiveness of antibiotics and threatening decades of medical progress. AMR already causes more than one million deaths annually, a number expected to rise sharply.

Ahead of World AMR Awareness Week (18–24 November 2025), the World Health Organization is urging governments to convert political commitments into concrete, life-saving actions. This year’s theme, “Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future,” calls for stronger surveillance, wider access to quality medicines and diagnostics, and greater innovation across health and food systems.

WHO warns that drug-resistant pathogens are increasing everywhere, particularly where access to prevention, diagnosis, and proper treatment is limited. AMR weakens the ability of antibiotics and other treatments to fight infections, raising the risk of severe disease and death.

Because AMR spans human, animal, plant, and environmental health, coordinated action across sectors is essential. The campaign urges policymakers, health professionals, veterinarians, farmers, environmental experts, and communities to work together to slow the spread of resistance.

“All counties are faced with antimicrobial resistance. Drug-resistant pathogens are increasing everywhere, and the less access people have to prevention, diagnosis, and appropriate treatment, the more likely they are to suffer from drug-resistant infections,” said Dr Yvan Hutin, Director of Antimicrobial Resistance at WHO. “World AMR Awareness Week reminds us that protecting antimicrobials is a shared responsibility. We must act now to safeguard these life-saving medicines for ourselves and for future generations.” 

World AMR Awareness Week aims to raise awareness, promote global action, and push for concrete steps aligned with recent international commitments. WHO and its Quadripartite partners (FAO, UNEP, and WOAH) are providing tools, guidance, and advocacy materials to support global efforts.

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