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As antimicrobial resistance (AMR) escalates globally and poses a growing threat to public health, the World Health Organisation (WHO) South-East Asia has issued a strong call for coordinated and urgent action. Marking World AMR Awareness Week 2025, Dr. Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge for WHO South-East Asia, warned that drug-resistant infections are undermining decades of medical progress and jeopardising essential health services.
"Antimicrobial resistance threatens the very foundations of modern medicine, jeopardising decades of medical progress, as around the world and particularly in South-East Asia, common infections are becoming harder to treat," Dr. Boehme said. She noted that AMR is already responsible for over a million deaths annually worldwide, with numbers projected to rise sharply. This year's global theme, "Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future," builds on commitments made at the 2024 United Nations General Assembly High-level Meeting on AMR. Dr. Boehme emphasised that the momentum from these commitments must now translate into concrete action. "This call-to-action urges all stakeholders - governments, civil society, health-care providers, veterinarians, farmers, environmental actors and the public to translate the political commitments into tangible, accountable, life-saving interventions." A newly released Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Report 2025 highlights widening disparities, with low and middle-income nations disproportionately affected. According to the report, resistance was most prevalent in the WHO South-East Asia and Eastern Mediterranean regions in 2023. To address the growing threat, Member States recently endorsed the Regional Roadmap on AMR (2025-2030), which aims to accelerate progress through stronger governance, financing, innovation and integration with broader health systems. The WHO South-East Asia Regional Office is currently assisting countries in updating national action plans, strengthening regulatory authorities, expanding antimicrobial stewardship, and developing cross-sectoral surveillance systems. "Our actions can and must ensure that infections remain treatable, surgeries stay safe, and progress continues for future generations," Dr. Boehme stressed. Calling AMR one of the greatest threats to global health, food security and development, she concluded: "Together, we can preserve the life-saving power of antimicrobials for current and future generations. Let us act now, and let us act together." World AMR Awareness Week 2025 started on November 18, 2025 and will conclude on November 24, 2025. (ANI)
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