Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the efficient prevention and treatment of diseases caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi and is thus one of the greatest challenges to world health, food security, and development. According to the World Health Organization, some 700,000 people die annually from bacterial illnesses.
AMR currently impacts people’s lives.
Currently, a lot of illnesses have acquired resistance to antimicrobial drugs. Inappropriate use of antibiotics can result in the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, rendering treatments ineffective; this poses a significant danger to, for instance, cancer therapy. Without good antibiotics, major surgery and chemotherapy for cancer would not be successful.
Antibiotic overuse in food-producing animals contributes to the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms, particularly in intensive animal production settings. WHO reports that in certain countries, the total amount of antibiotics administered to animals is four times the amount administered to people. These are only a few instances of how AMR now affects our lives.
Bacteria, unlike people, build resistance.
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines or antibiotics, making illnesses difficult to cure and raising the risk of disease spread, severe illness, and death. As a result, the treatments become ineffective and illnesses remain in the human body, increasing the danger of dissemination to others. Microorganisms that acquire antibiotic resistance are commonly referred to as “superbugs.”
Research is essential to finding answers.
If we don’t deal with this worldwide threat and complicated problem, many advances in modern medicine that rely on antibiotics to treat infections, like routine surgery, the treatment of chronic diseases, and cancer treatments, could be at risk.
A failure to address the issue of AMR might result in 10 million deaths by 2050 and 1.2 trillion USD more in health spending per year by 2050, owing to the emergence of AMR. To combat AMR, a One Health strategy including human, animal, and environmental health must be applied at the regional, national, and global levels.
Combating AMR requires a “One Health” strategy.
The worldwide challenge of combating AMR extends beyond the development of novel medicines and treatments. Reducing demand for new antibiotics through public awareness, infection prevention and control, prudent and rational use of antibiotics, as well as effective diagnosis and surveillance of antibiotic-resistant infections and antibiotic use from a One Health perspective, are essential for addressing this issue globally.
AptVet is increasingly focused on disease prevention and early disease detection to reduce the need for antibiotics to treat animal illness, and we’re happy about the progress we’ve made so far in this area.
As a company committed to animal health and welfare, APtVet implemented a multifaceted strategy to promote responsible antibiotic stewardship, reduce the need for antibiotics, and replace them with alternatives. These efforts were intended to assist safeguard antibiotics’ long-term sustainability while simultaneously giving doctors, farmers, and pet owners with the skills they need to keep animals and people healthy.