More and more animals are not getting timely diagnosis and treatment against the infectious diseases, resulting in increased mortality and reduced productivity. The World Bank projects that livestock production in low- and middle-income countries could decline by 11% by 2050. This could pose a significant challenge to food safety and livelihood of farmers whose income also relies on food producing animals for their household, said Yu Qiu.
Agrees Ana Luisa Pereira Mateus, Scientific Coordinator at the Antimicrobial Resistance and Veterinary Products Department, World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH): "Untimely mortality and morbidity in animals due to emergence of AMR is having an adverse impact on livelihoods of those who depend on food producing animals, because of decreasing productivity. AMR also impacts local economies. Up to one in five people in the world depend on food producing animals to secure their livelihoods. The cumulative global gross domestic product (GDP) loss due to AMR in livestock is predicted to be US$ 575 billion by 2050."
Environment and AMR
According to Wondwosen Asnake Kibret, Policy and Partnerships Coordinator, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the environment plays a key role in the development, transmission and spread of AMR. Increased use and misuse of antimicrobials and other microbial stressors, such as pollution, create favourable conditions for microorganisms to develop resistance from sources such as sewage.
The environmental dimensions of AMR include pollution from hospital and community wastewater, effluents from pharmaceutical production, and waste originating from agriculture and livestock. These may contain not only resistant microorganisms, but also antimicrobials, microplastics, metals and other chemicals, all of which increase the risk of AMR in the environment, he added.
A future sans the threat of AMR
All of us, including the youth of today, want a future which is free from the threats of AMR.
"AMR warrants a whole of society approach to address it. The role of youth, who represent a significant part of our population, is crucial as key stakeholders in achieving joint action against AMR. Empowering the next generation through effective communication is not just a necessity but a powerful tool to inspire learning, advocacy, and action," said Augusto Baron, member of Quadripartite Working Group for Youth Engagement on AMR.
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