Home / Health / AMR: The Silent Pandemic Threatening More Than Cancer
AMR: The Silent Pandemic Threatening More Than Cancer
22 Jan
Summary
- Antimicrobial resistance may kill more than cancer by 2050.
- Experts warn of a preventable crisis ignored at Davos.
- Phage-based medicines and public health practices are key solutions.
Experts convened at Davos this week issued grave warnings that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could escalate into a global threat deadlier than cancer. They cautioned that the world is approaching a preventable crisis that is largely being overlooked. This looming threat has the potential to surpass cancer in fatalities by 2050 if governments fail to implement effective measures.
Vanina Laurent Ledru of Institut Mérieux expressed concern about a future pandemic fueled by public mistrust, emphasizing that AMR is already a present danger. Peter Sands of The Global Fund echoed these sentiments, describing AMR as a pandemic with a 100 percent certainty of occurrence, yet critically underfunded.
Discussions highlighted innovative solutions such as phage-based medicines, which target bacteria resistant to antibiotics. However, participants stressed that new drugs alone are insufficient. Addressing the AMR crisis requires comprehensive strategies encompassing improved nutrition, stringent hygiene practices, and behavioral changes to limit transmission, alongside robust policy and health system support.
