The African continent has galvanized to outline its priority list for tackling antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, ahead of this month's high-level meeting on the issue at the United Nations General Assembly.
AMR happens when antimicrobials, such as antibiotics, are no longer effective against bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. This growing problem jeopardizes advances in modern medicine, such as treating infectious diseases and performing complex surgeries.
“If AMR spreads unchecked, many infectious diseases will become untreatable, reversing a century of progress in medical practices,” according to a new report which was authored by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the African Union’s InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources.
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.
