World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week 2025 (18-24 November) is a global call to urgent action. This year’s theme, “Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future”, emphasises the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is already harming health, food systems, and economies worldwide.
AMR is one of the biggest health challenges of our time. It occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve so that antimicrobial drugs, including antibiotics, no longer work.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths in 2019 and contributed to nearly 5 million more. The economic toll is staggering, with projected healthcare costs of US$1 trillion by 2050 and GDP losses of up to US$3.4 trillion annually by 2030.
New Zealand is not immune. Ministry of Health Chief Science Advisor Dr Ian Town says AMR poses a significant risk to the health of New Zealanders as infections that could previously be treated may become difficult or impossible to treat.
“Recent outbreaks of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and carbapenemase-producing organisms show AMR is here and affecting patients today,” Dr Town says.
“Our health system is under pressure with demand for health services growing. Not acting on AMR now will only increase those pressures in the future”.
The WHO estimates that by the end of 2030, patients with antimicrobial-resistant infections in the Western Pacific region will spend up to 172 million extra days in hospital.
AMR also threatens primary industries such as dairy and horticulture, as we rely on antimicrobials to treat infections in dairy cows and kiwifruit, with implications for exports and food security.
Globally, countries including New Zealand have committed to the first-ever AMR targets through a UN political declaration, aiming to reduce AMR-related deaths by 10% by 2030.
Closer to home, the Public Health Agency is working closely with Health New Zealand, the Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science (PHF Science), and other partners to make progress on these commitments.
Work currently underway across the health sector includes developing an AMR Strategy and national prescribing guidelines, reporting on antimicrobial use, improving infection prevention and boosting immunisation rates, and strengthening the coordination and integration of public health surveillance.
AMR is a shared challenge requiring a One Health approach across human, animal, and environmental sectors. Acting now will protect lives today and safeguard future generations.
Preventing infections helps stop antimicrobial resistance developing, by reducing the need for antimicrobials.
There are some steps everyone can take to Act Now.
- Regularly wash your hands – especially prior to preparing foods and eating; and after using the bathroom.
- Keep up to date with vaccinations.
- Remember the 3Cs when cooking at home: Clean, Cook, Chill to prevent you and your family from getting food poisoning. For more information, see the Ministry for Primary Industries website.
- Cover cuts and prevent insect bites.
- Trust your health professional if they advise that you don’t need antimicrobials, such as antibiotics. Ask them about other ways to relieve your symptoms.
- Only take antimicrobials if they are prescribed for you, don’t use or share leftover antimicrobials.
- Follow your health professional’s advice on when and how to take them.
- Take any unused antimicrobials back to your pharmacy so they are disposed of safely and don’t enter the environment.
