Stakeholders’ Role for Addressing Global Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance: A Multisectoral One Health Approach

Abstract

The role of antibiotics in human and animal medicine has been an important pillar of modern medicine. Microbes developing resistance to antibiotics are currently a catastrophic global public health crisis that needs immediate attention. The response to reduce such resistance involves regular surveillance, prudent drug usage, infection control measures, and identifying new drug molecules or alternative agents. There is an urgent need to enhance the effectiveness of these interventions as the drug-resistant pathogens circulate through various sources like food animals and the environment. This calls for an urgent need to promote antimicrobial stewardship to counter antimicrobial resistance (AMR). By combating AMR, countries can prevent unwarranted deaths, alleviate economic losses, and contribute to societal and economic development. A collaborative action of diverse stakeholders involved in the control of AMR is the best approach which is gaining more and more attention. The main objective of the chapter is to identify the stakeholders’ involved in addressing threats due to AMR and to describe their roles and contributions. All stakeholders need to work collaboratively under One Health umbrella in order to save all species in the planet from the catastrophic public health crisis of AMR.