An accessible overview of the challenges in tackling AMR, and the economic and policy responses of the 'One Health' approach. It will appeal to policy-makers seeking to strengthen national and local polices tackling AMR, as well as students and academics who want an overview of the latest scientific evidence regarding effective AMR policies.
'Challenges in Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance: Economic and Policy Responses is a timely publication for policy-makers working in the human, animal and environmental health sectors impacted by the emergence of AMR. Alongside climate change, AMR is one of the most pressing issues of our time. It requires a level of co-operation between countries and sectors, and an urgency that we are unaccustomed to. Every year thousands of patients in Belgium contract hospital infections. Our capacity to treat those infections using antibiotics, which help saving lives, is being undermined by the increasing presence of drug-resistant bacteria. We have taken several measures to better manage the use of antibiotics and promote infection control as part of a One Health approach. More action is needed and, crucially, this book synthesises the most recent evidence on essential policies to tackle AMR. I hope this book will help to mobilise resources across sectors and across countries to halt this significant threat to public health. The progress we have achieved over many decades is in jeopardy. This book is a clear call to action.' Maggie De Block, Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health, and Asylum Policy and Migration, Belgium