Antimicrobial resistance is a complicated issue with a public relations problem. Many people don’t know what it means nor fully grasp the ways in which it's rapidly accelerating. And globally, there is a lack of targets and accountability on the issue.
It happens when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites no longer react to medicines. It threatens to turn back the clock on advancements made in modern medicine — creating a world where it's commonplace that simple infections become impossible to treat and routine medical procedures become too unsafe to perform. It’s been dubbed a “silent pandemic” that already directly kills nearly 1.3 million people per year.
The global health community is warning the world has moved far too slow in responding to AMR and are working to elevate the issue.
About the author
Sara Jervingsarajerving
Sara Jerving is a Senior Reporter at Devex, where she covers global health. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, VICE News, and Bloomberg News among others. Sara holds a master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she was a Lorana Sullivan fellow. She was a finalist for One World Media's Digital Media Award in 2021; a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists in 2018; and she was part of a VICE News Tonight on HBO team that received an Emmy nomination in 2018. She received the Philip Greer Memorial Award from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2014.
