18-24 Nov is World AMR Awareness Week
AMR causes otherwise simple infections in animals to become chronic, serious, or even life-threatening, leading to increased treatment failures and higher costs of veterinary care. An increase in resistant infections such as surgical site infections and urinary tract infections are already being observed in veterinary practice (1).
While almost 5 million human deaths were associated with AMR in 2019, the exact number of animal deaths due to AMR is unknown. Studies on healthcare-associated infections in animals show similar rates to humans, suggesting a significant but undermeasured impact on animal health (2).
Veterinary antimicrobial stewardship is critical, emphasising responsible antimicrobial use and infection prevention and control. Stewardship programs in veterinary medicine have shown reductions in overall antimicrobial use and help preserve treatment efficacy, reduce costs, and mitigate AMR spread (3).
What have you got to lose?