Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): What You Need to Know to Keep Yourself and Your Family Safe
09 May 2022
15 Sep 2022
ProgramsAntibiotics have no effect against a virus, yet most of us have been prescribed antibiotics for viral conditions like cold symptoms or bronchial infections at some point. While that practice might have seemed harmless, decades of overuse and misuse of antimicrobials have contributed to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is when germs change over time and no longer respond to common medications.
Each year, more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the United States alone, and more than 35,000 people die as a result of AMR. The situation has become so serious that the World Health Organization declared AMR a top global health threat facing humanity.
What can you do to keep your family safe? In our new education program, we share the facts you need to know and the questions to ask your healthcare provider about AMR. We also turned to Dr. Maria Isabel Rosas Garcia, a pediatric infectious disease specialist, to explain more about why AMR should be taken seriously and what you can do to fight this growing health concern.
Finally, we invite you to tune into our webinar, " Antimicrobial Resistance: The Global Threat and Why Women Need to Know About It" to hear from leading experts about the basics of AMR, how we need to raise awareness, appropriate use of antibiotics, what women can do for themselves and their family, and why to become active in the policy campaign.
This resource was created with support from Pfizer Inc.
Leading Experts
Moderator
Thomas Heymann, President & CEO, Sepsis Alliance
Helen Boucher, MD, FACP, FIDSA, Attending Physician, Faculty, Tufts Center for Integrated Management of Antimicrobial Resistance; Dean Ad Interim and Professor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine
Sandy Cayo, DNP FNP-BC, VP of Clinical Performance and Transformation, New Jersey Hospital Association
Amanda Jesek, Senior Vice President, Public Policy & Government Relations, Infectious Diseases Society of America
Kevin Outterson, Professor of Law, Boston University; N. Neal Pike Scholar in Health and Disability Law; Executive Director of CARB-X
Learn More
AMR Resource List
Antimicrobial agents are used to treat diseases caused by microbial infections. Over time, the increased use and misuse of antimicrobial agents have led microbes to evolve such that they become resistant to drugs and maintain the ability to cause disease; also known as antimicrobial resistance (AMR).The main drivers of antimicrobial resistance include the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials, lack of access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for both humans and animals, poor infection and disease prevention and control in health-care facilities and farms, a various other factors. To learn more about the risk, signs, and preventative measures of AMR, please contact your provider and explore the additional resources below.
HealthyWomen Resources
- Fast Facts: What You Need to Know About Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
- Clinically Speaking: Important Questions to Ask About Antimicrobial Resistance
- Antimicrobial Resistance: An Emerging Public Health Threat
- Antimicrobial Resistance: The Global Threat and Why Women Need to Know About It"
- How Healthcare Providers and Patients Can Limit the Spread of Antimicrobial Resistance
En Español
- Datos curiosos: Lo que debe saber sobre la resistencia a los antimicrobianos (AMR)
- Resistencia a los antibióticos: Una amenaza emergente a la salud pública
- Cómo los proveedores de atención médica y los pacientes pueden limitar la propagación de la resistencia a los antimicrobianos
Additional Resources
- Antibiotic / Antimicrobial Resistance | CDC
- Antimicrobial resistance (who.int)
- CDC: 1 in 3 antibiotic prescriptions unnecessary | CDC Online Newsroom | CDC
- WHO | Tackling antimicrobial resistance in the COVID-19 pandemic
From Your Site Articles
- How Healthcare Providers and Patients Can Limit the Spread of Antimicrobial Resistance - HealthyWomen ›
- 5 Things You Should Know About Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Covid-19 - HealthyWomen ›
- Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and Drug Resistance - HealthyWomen ›
- Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and Antimicrobial Resistance - HealthyWomen ›
- You, Too, Can Fight AMR! - HealthyWomen ›
- AMR 101 With Dr. Uzma Syed - HealthyWomen ›
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