Tackling antimicrobial resistance on multiple fronts

In 2013, England’s then Chief Medical Officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, publicly likened it to a “ticking time-bomb” and warned that routine operations could become deadly due to untreatable infections in as little as 20 years.

Today, in 2019, some countries are having success in transforming their thinking about antibiotics, viewing them as a resource to be preserved rather than the default treatment option.

Simply focusing on reduction of volume of antibiotics will not be enough either. Recent studies, like that of Public Health England, confirm that knowing when to use antibiotics is becoming even more important and while behaviours are shifting in the right direction, they also demonstrate that sanitation, infection control and awareness can only go so far.