Korea is committed partner in campaign against drug-resistant infections

The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials for years have made bacteria learn how to fight back and build antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that can render drugs ineffective.

The health crisis associated with multidrug resistant bacteria is becoming more serious with COVID-19, as more antibiotics are being used to treat coronavirus-infected patients.

The slowly-developing nature of AMR can be more fatal than COVID-19 because it evolves into the “next pandemic” while being unnoticed by the public, according to International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions (ICARS) Director of Operations Helle Engslund Krarup.

In a written interview with The Korea Times this month, Krarup accordingly thanked Korea for its commitment to the campaign against AMR even before COVID-19 raised awareness of it.