AMR is one of the biggest threats to global health. Leading the global charge to address AMR are the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Organisation for Animal Health, collectively known as the Quadripartite.
Today marks the start of World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week, a key initiative of the Quadripartite aimed at raising awareness of this global health threat. We join the global community in urging individuals, groups and organisations across sectors to take action against AMR.
The 2025 theme, “Act now: Protect our present, secure our future,” is a reminder that what each of us do today will shape the health of tomorrow.
AMR is a serious global health threat driven by the use of antimicrobials (antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and parasiticides) in humans, animals and agriculture. It occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time to survive antimicrobial treatments that were designed to prevent or treat them. A recent study estimated that more than 39 million people globally will die from AMR between 2025 and 2050 if increased action isn’t taken.1
AMR makes infections difficult to treat, and increases the risks associated with life-saving and common medical procedures. In human health, AMR can lead to longer hospital stays, higher medical costs and, in some cases, severe illness or death. Australia works to address AMR through a range of public health measures that focus on prevention, early detection and responsible use of medicines. These include strong infection prevention and control programs in hospitals and the community, national vaccination efforts, and surveillance systems that track resistant infections.
Although antibiotics are not used in Australia for plant production, other antimicrobials, including fungicides, can help with plant production and protection. Overuse, residue and run-off can directly and indirectly impact human, animal, plant and environmental health. AMR can also move through the food cycle threatening plant health, food safety and the environment.
In animals, AMR infections can reduce animal health, welfare and production outcomes. Resistant microorganisms can also spread from animals to people who are in contact with them. Australia has a conservative approach to the use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals, and our animal industries are one of the lowest users of antimicrobials in the world. We are implementing the Animal Sector AMR Action Plan as a partnership between governments, livestock industries and experts to build on these existing strengths.
Antimicrobials are a precious resource used to protect human, animal and plant health, wellbeing and productivity. Every effort must be made to preserve their effectiveness.
In Australia, AMR is a shared national priority.
The Australian Government champions One Health approach to tackling AMR, recognising that the health of humans, animals, plants and the environment is interdependent and intrinsically linked. The Australian Government continues to promote One Health approaches and is actively involved in collaborating nationally and with global partners to address the risk of AMR.
Australia’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy – 2020 and beyond calls on governments, health professionals, veterinarians, and researchers to reduce the spread of drug-resistant infections and preserve the effectiveness of antimicrobial treatments.
Building on the momentum of 2025 United Nations General AssemblyHigh-Level Meeting on AMR, the Australian Government welcomes the work that is under way globally to update the Global Action Plan on AMR.
Australia will play host to 2 major events in the coming year. By bringing together diverse groups of people, these events improve knowledge-sharing to better tackle the global AMR challenge:
- AMR 2026 is a global summit that will be delivered in partnership between the CSIRO and the Fleming Initiative.
- The 8th International Conference on the Environmental Dimensions of AMR will be hosted by the Cooperative Research Centre for Solving Antimicrobial Resistance in Agribusiness, Food, and Environments (SAAFE CRC).
We can and must address AMR together – all Australian governments, the private sector, industry, the research community and the public.
How you can help reduce the risks of AMR
For the public:
- Always follow your health professional’s instructions when they prescribe you antimicrobial medication, such as taking the full course of antibiotics.
- Remember, antibiotics only treat certain bacteria under certain conditions. They don’t work against viruses like the common cold or the flu. You should not take them ‘just in case’.
- Don’t pressure your doctor or veterinarian for antimicrobials if they say you or your animals don’t need them. Instead ask about other ways to manage the signs and symptoms.
- Practice good hand hygiene and wound care. This can reduce the development and spread of infection, and the need for antimicrobials.
- Dispose of unused antibiotics properly by returning them to a pharmacy participating in the Return of Unwanted Medicines Project – don’t throw them in the bin or save them for later.
- Stay up to date with your recommended vaccinations. Vaccines can prevent both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant infections, reduce the use and overuse of antimicrobials, and slow the emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections.
For animal owners and livestock producers:
- Use antimicrobials only under veterinary advice and as prescribed.
- Maintain strong biosecurity and good animal husbandry to prevent disease.
- Implement and regularly review on-farm biosecurity plans.
- Implement vaccination programs as appropriate.
- Dispose of unused antibiotics properly.
For agriculture and plant sectors:
- Implement and maintain recommended biosecurity procedures to minimise the need for interventions for pest or disease management.
- Use agricultural chemicals only as permitted by law and according to the manufacturers’ instructions.
- Prevent disease through integrated pest management, crop rotation, and the planting of resistant varieties.
- Manage farm inputs and run-off to reduce the spread of resistant microorganisms in soil and water.
Learn more about:
- antimicrobial resistance
- how it affects you, our animalsour agriculture
- what is happening around the world:
- what you can do to help
Statement from:
- Professor Michael Kidd AO, Australian Government Chief Medical Officer
- Dr Beth Cookson, Australian Chief Veterinary Officer
- Dr Gabrielle Vivian-Smith, Australian Chief Plant Protection Officer
- Dr Bertie Hennecke, Australian Chief Environmental Biosecurity Officer
1 GBD 2021 Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators. Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance 1990–2021: a systematic analysis with forecasts to 2050. Lancet 2024; Volume 202, Issue 10459. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01867-1.