In Malawi, NC State Extends its Global Reach in Antimicrobial Resistance Fight

There’s America — 50 states, 330 million people. Different colors on the map indicate levels of antibiotic use in humans and animals, and the United States, like many of the other countries, is dark to indicate heavy use.

Across an ocean is Africa — 54 countries, 1.2 billion people. On the map, most of the continent is colored gray. That doesn’t mean antibiotic use is low. It means there is no information about antibiotic use at all.

Whenever Sid Thakur is asked about disparities in the global fight against antimicrobial resistance, he remembers this one map he once saw in a research paper.

In antimicrobial resistance, it’s the unknown that’s most dangerous.