Priority Areas - Stewardship
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing threat to global health, and sporadic outbreaks of untreatable ‘super-bugs’ now a reality in hospitals across the UK. It is currently estimated that approximately 700,000 people a year die from infection caused by these organisms globally, and left unchecked, that figure could rise to 10 million by 2050, eclipsing the number of deaths caused by cancer and malaria.
This priority area will help the UK achieve the targets set out in the UK National Action Plan – Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance 2019-2024
- In 2015, member states of the World Health Organisation endorsed a Global Action Plan (GAP) on Antimicrobial Resistance, encompassing five key strategic objectives.
- This provides a framework from which National Action Plans (NAP) can be developed and delivered by individual member states.
- The current UK National Action Plan - Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance 2019-2024 focusses on reducing the need for and unintentional exposure to antimicrobials, optimising the use of antimicrobials, and investing in innovation, supply and access to tackle antimicrobial resistance.