UK funding of £85m has been announced at a global event to support the international community in tackling the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global issue that makes infections difficult or impossible to treat.
Figures from NHS England show that there were 4.95 million deaths associated with bacterial AMR across 204 countries, with 1.27 million directly attributed. This led to the World Health Organization declaring it a global public health threat.
World leaders and experts, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the World Bank, are attending a global event hosted by the Royal Society to agree on priority actions to tackle this growing threat.
They will also listen to accounts from AMR survivors.
AMR is a growing global threat – we must act now
UK Health Minister Andrew Stephenson said: “Antimicrobial resistance could render our most vital medicines useless – it is a threat the world must take extremely seriously.
“This package of up to £85m builds on the world-leading work the UK Government is already doing to support low and middle-income countries to monitor, research and tackle this disease.”
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, if we fail to take sufficient action, the costs associated with treating resistant infections could compare to having a COVID pandemic every five years.
The event – The World Together Solving the Antibiotic Emergency – has been organised by the government in partnership with the Royal Society.
It will celebrate the successes of global action to tackle AMR and look ahead to commitments for what more the world can do collaboratively in the fight against AMR, looking ahead to the important milestone of the United Nations high-level meeting in September.
New projects to prevent the spread of antimicrobial resistance
The UK government will announce the following initiatives:
- Up to £50m to partner with countries in Africa to improve access to essential antimicrobial drugs
- Up to £25m, which will include partnering with countries and territories in the Caribbean to strengthen surveillance systems for AMR to enable accurate monitoring of threats
- Up to £10m over the next five years to help establish a global independent scientific panel for AMR
These new projects build on ongoing international and domestic work to prevent the spread of antimicrobial resistance.
This includes the recently announced national action plan and a partnership with countries across Asia and Africa to tackle AMR and reduce the threat posed to the UK.
