Today’s Risks are Tomorrow’s Infections 

Why Antimicrobial Stewardship Can’t Wait

Antimicrobial resistance is nothing new. Scientists have been warning of it for more than 60 years, as they started to see antibiotic resistance shortly after World War II.1 Despite what history has shown us, and despite early and ongoing warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO), here we are, in the midst of a global antimicrobial resistance crisis in the 21st century.2-6

THE EYE-OPENING IMPACT

• Antimicrobials are proving to be no match for some of the most common infections, including urinary tract infections.6
• It is becoming increasingly difficult to treat serious infectious diseases like tuberculosis, HIV, and malaria.5
• Lifesaving medical treatments and procedures like chemotherapy, organ transplantation, and diabetes management are much riskier.5
• New research shows that bacteria may be starting to resist even alcohol.7
• The security and safety of the world’s food systems are being threatened.6

By the Numbers

According to a new report released by the United Nations (UN) Interagency Coordination Group (IACG) on Antimicrobial Resistance²:

700,000

people die annually due to drug-resistant diseases

230,000

people die annually due to multidrug-resistant tuberculosis

If no action is taken to combat antimicrobial resistance:

BY 2030

24 million

people around the world could be forced into extreme poverty

BY 2050

10 million

people could die annually due to drug-resistant diseases, and the global economic burden could be as dire as the 2008-2009 financial crisis

 Call for Antimicrobial Stewardship

In order to avert the antimicrobial resistance crisis, antimicrobial stewardship is needed on a global scale. Let’s start by defining it. According to the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, antimicrobial stewardship is10:

“a coordinated program that promotes the appropriate use of antimicrobials (including antibiotics), improves patient outcomes, reduces microbial resistance, and decreases the spread of infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms.”

The UN IACG on Antimicrobial Resistance recommends that each country6:

• Implement stronger regulatory systems and increase awareness of “responsible and prudent use of antimicrobials by professionals in human, animal and plant health.”
• Put more funding and resources behind national antimicrobial stewardship programs, as well as new technologies to help fight antimicrobial resistance.
• Stop using vital antimicrobials as growth promoters in agriculture.

To practice antimicrobial stewardship, healthcare professionals and facilities should:

• Ensure antibiotics are being used appropriately. This means using the right drug at the right time and dosage, and for the right duration.11
• Challenge the use of antibiotics and antiseptics like CHG for inappropriate or non-critical use, preserving their use for times in which there is a clear patient benefit.8,12

The following resources can help clinicians, healthcare facilities, and patients learn more about and practice antimicrobial stewardship:

• CDC Implementation Resources
• AHA Physician Alliance Antimicrobial Stewardship Toolkit

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