TEHRAN –Health minister Bahram Einollahi has warned about the silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as one of the biggest threats to global health and development.

Antimicrobial resistance accounts for more than 1.3 million deaths in the world every year, he said.

“Overprescribing and inappropriate use of drugs contributes to the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance,” ILNA quoted Einollahi as saying.

He made the remarks on the occasion of the national week on antimicrobial resistance awareness, being held from November 18 to 24.

He called antimicrobial resistance, climate change, and Covid-19 as the biggest and most complex health threats in the world.

One of the objectives of expanding justice and promoting programs in the health system is to overcome the mortality caused by infectious diseases and increase life expectancy.

The realization of this goal requires prioritizing prevention over cure, providing easy and cheap access to treatment services, and developing pharmaceutical production in the country, Einollahi stated.

Despite all the efforts made, many antimicrobial drugs have lost their effectiveness. Whereas, the production of a new antibiotic takes at least 10 to 15 years and costs over one billion dollars.

If not manipulated properly, AMR will rank above cancer, contributing to an upsurge in mortality rate by 2050.

Also, antimicrobial resistance impacts go beyond the health sector, affecting the development of the countries.

In the fields of agriculture, animal husbandry, and the food industry, the loss of effective antimicrobial medicines makes it difficult to prepare sanitary food.

It is estimated that in the next 30 years, the gross domestic product will decrease by 4% annually, especially in developing countries, and 24 million people will live in absolute poverty.

Failure to follow infection control principles by healthcare providers can lead to the spread of infection and the emergence of AMR.

The compilation of the second national program to curb AMR has started.

Preventing and controlling the spread of infections are among other programs that will not be successful unless the adoption of a unified health approach and the participation of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Veterinary Organization, and the Department of Environment.

In addition, the Ministry of Education and the media will play a key role in reforming the culture of medicine consumption and observing the principles of preventing infections.

National health campaign to curb NCDs

On November 11, the first phase of a national health campaign started with the aim of reducing deaths caused by non-communicable diseases.

The project with the theme of "earlier awareness, better care" will continue until January 5, 2024, ISNA reported.

Nowadays, health is one of the most essential human needs. Before the coronavirus pandemic, people may not have realized its importance, but this disease showed us how precious health is, Health Minister Bahram Einollahi said at a ceremony to unveil the Campaign.

“Maybe everyone thinks that our job is treatment, but it is not true. Our main duty is to prevent diseases and promote health.”

For this reason, we started a project called "national health campaign” on November 11, which will continue till January 5, 2024.

World AMR Awareness Week

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial agents.

 As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents become ineffective and infections become difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, and death.

The World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) is a global campaign to raise awareness and understanding of AMR and promote best practices among One Health stakeholders to reduce the emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections. WAAW is celebrated from 18-24 November every year.

The theme for WAAW 2023 will remain "Preventing antimicrobial resistance together", as in 2022.

AMR is a threat to humans, animals, plants, and the environment. It affects us all.

MT/MG