Antimicrobial Resistance (Part 2)

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when disease-causing pathogens adapt to become able to withstand the killing or suppressing power of antimicrobial medicines. These drug-resistant pathogens can then spread within health facilities and the community, in humans, animals, and the environment. This phenomenon increases the global burden of infectious diseases, strains health systems, and undermines health gains of the last century and this century.

If you haven't taken Antimicrobial Resistance Part 1, we recommend you start there. In that course you are introduced to the basic principles of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which improve your understanding of AMR and the impact that AMR has not only on individuals but also on society, making it a critical public health concern. The course outlines the threat AMR poses to some of the larger global and national agendas such as universal health coverage and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Part 1 also presents some of the global health community's efforts to slow the emergence and spread of resistance, including the One Health approach integrating human, animal, and environmental health and efforts under the Global Health Security Agenda.

This course, Antimicrobial Resistance Part 2, explains the major factors that contribute to the development and spread of AMR and the interventions available to address these factors. This course also discusses antimicrobials and vaccine development, the impact of globalization and societal shifts on AMR, and international strategies for containing AMR. Because AMR cuts across and affects human, animal, and environmental health, a One Health approach is fundamental to tackling this growing global threat; this course emphasizes that multisectoral connection.