The AMR Action Fund is combating antimicrobial resistance, but much more action is needed

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it painfully clear how unprepared we have been for a large-scale, global health crisis.

A year later, with vaccine approvals and distribution underway, hope is on the horizon. However, we cannot be complacent when it comes to another rising infectious threat: antimicrobial resistance, or AMR. Just like we were before COVID-19, we do not have the tools we need to prevent and treat these infections.

AMR is a slow-burning global crisis that, over the long term, has the potential to be even more catastrophic than COVID-19. Although only an ember right now, it is growing rapidly and, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2050 AMR could claim as many as 10 million lives per year.