Linnet Ochieng, the lab manager, conducts AMR testing at the International Livestock Research Institute.
Credit: ILRI
By Busani Bafana
BULAWAYO, May 20 2025 – More people are dying from once treatable infections because the medicines we rely on are no longer working as they should. The culprit? A growing health threat called antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
What is AMR?
AMR happens when bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites evolve and become resistant to the drugs meant to kill them—this makes common infections harder and sometimes impossible to treat. Without effective drugs, diseases last longer, spread more easily, and cause more deaths. Why? Antimicrobials are becoming less effective in treating infections because disease-causing germs are becoming resistant.
“AMR is a global crisis that is already here,” Dr. Arshnee Moodley, a microbiologist and team leader for Antimicrobial Resistance at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), told IPS via email.
“It makes infections in people, animals, and even plants harder—or sometimes impossible—to treat,” Moodley says. “Without working medicines, illnesses that were once routine can become life-threatening.”
The rise in AMR has made it more difficult to prevent and treat infections with medicines like antimicrobials.
What are antimicrobials and are they important for health?
Antimicrobials are very important medicines and include antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, and antiparasitics, which are used to either prevent or treat infections in humans, animals, and plants. They are essential to modern medicine and veterinary care. Without them, we risk losing the ability to treat infectious diseases and protect our food systems.
Why is this happening? Should we be worried about AMR?
Imagine not having medicine that works when you get an infection. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the world scrambled to find ways to treat and manage a new disease.
AMR is largely driven by the overuse and misuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and agriculture. They are often used when they’re not needed or in the wrong doses. In farming, they are sometimes used to promote growth or make up for poor hygiene rather than treat disease. This overuse gives microbes more chances to adapt and become resistant, turning these life-saving medicines into useless tools.
The World Bank, the World Organisation for Animal Health, and AMR all warn that without action, AMR could cause significant economic harm on the scale of the 2008 global financial crisis. The World Bank estimates that by 2050, AMR could wipe away 3.8 percent of global gross domestic product each year and push 28 million people into poverty. The loss of productivity in agriculture, especially livestock systems, could severely affect food systems and livelihoods.
Who is most affected?
While AMR is a global burden, low- and middle-income countries like Kenya bear the greatest burden. Limited access to diagnostics, vaccines, and appropriate treatment means that drug-resistant infections often go undetected or are treated incorrectly. Farmers can lose entire herds or flocks due to untreatable infections, leading to food insecurity and loss of income. According to recent estimates, AMR directly causes 1.27 million deaths annually and contributes to nearly 5 million more. That’s on par with HIV/AIDS and malaria.
Researchers at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) use waste bins to collect empty containers, packaging, and used vials as a simple and effective way to monitor what antimicrobials are used on farms. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPS
Does climate change have a role in AMR?
Yes, climate change is an emerging factor in the spread and worsening of AMR. Rising temperatures, extreme weather, and flooding can alter the spread of pathogens and the application of antimicrobials, according to a recent review in which ILRI participated. For example, warmer conditions help bacteria grow faster and share resistance genes more easily. Floods can spread drug-resistant pathogens from sewage into water supplies, increasing the risk of infections in both people and animals. Animals stressed by heat may become more vulnerable to disease, leading to increased use of antimicrobials.
“There is also another link between AMR and climate change,” Moodley told IPS. “Residues of antimicrobials in manure can disrupt microbial processes in soil, potentially affecting greenhouse gas emissions. And we at ILRI are studying how antibiotics in livestock manure—because of treatment—affect greenhouse gas emissions and soil health.”
Can we fight AMR?
Yes. AMR is preventable, but it requires urgent action across all sectors. Vaccination can prevent infections and reduce the need for antibiotics. Improved diagnostics can ensure the right drug is used only when necessary. Better hygiene and infection prevention in hospitals, farms, and communities can reduce disease spread. Responsible antimicrobial use in both animals and humans is key to slowing AMR.
“While drug-resistant infections are a concern,” Moodley says, “We must not forget that many people still don’t have access to the basic health and veterinary services they need—including the very medicines, vaccines, and diagnostics that could save lives and prevent AMR.”
The bottom line
AMR threatens the future of healthcare, agriculture, and global development. It undermines progress toward Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goals like zero hunger (SDG 2) and good health and well-being (SDG 3). This silent pandemic is unfolding now and without urgent, coordinated action, the world risks entering a post-antibiotic era where even the smallest infections can once again kill.
Note: This feature is published with the support of Open Society Foundations.
IPS UN Bureau Report
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