WHO warns of 4.7 million deaths linked to antimicrobials
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Vanguard
The WHO considers antimicrobial resistance threatening and calls for measurable action; it is associated with more than 4.7 million deaths in 2021. Ahead of World AMR Awareness Week, from 18 to 24 November, the organisation warns that antibiotic use in livestock farming could rise by 30% by 2040 without new measures, according to Vanguard.
Drug-resistant bacteria have been associated with more than 4.7 million deaths in 2021, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The organisation considers antimicrobial resistance one of the gravest global health threats and calls on governments to turn their political commitments into measurable action.
Dr Jean-Pierre Nyemazi, acting director of the WHO’s Department of Antimicrobial Resistance, was speaking at the sixth annual global media forum on this subject. He argues that these deaths are not mere statistics: behind them are patients, families, farmers and communities. He also judges that the gap between commitments and their implementation remains wide, which he attributes to insufficient funding, fragmented coordination and weak surveillance.
In 2024, leaders gathered at the UN General Assembly high-level meeting on the subject set a target of reducing deaths linked to bacterial resistance by 10% by 2030, compared with the 2019 baseline of 4.95 million. They also committed to ensuring that at least 60% of countries fund their national action plans by 2030, and to mobilising at least $100 million in catalytic funding.
World AMR Awareness Week runs from 18 to 24 November 2026, under the theme “One Health, One Action: Prevent AMR Now”. The organisation also warns that, without intervention, antibiotic use in livestock farming could increase by 30% by 2040.
