Antimicrobial resistance
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the resistance of a microorganism to an antimicrobial medicine to which it was previously sensitive. It develops when a microorganism mutates or acquires a resistance gene. Resistant organisms (including bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa and helminths) are able to withstand attack by antimicrobial medicines such as antibiotics, antivirals and antimalarials, so that standard treatments become ineffective and infections persist and may spread to other people.
Antibiotic resistance in the European RegionTop story
Day 4 highlights: countries commit to strengthening the use of evidence and research in policy-making
On the final day of the 66th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, Member States adopted a European action plan to strengthen the use of evidence, information and research for policy-making. They also approved an action plan for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases.
News
- Day 4 highlights: countries commit to strengthening the use of evidence and research in policy-making
- WHO supports development of antimicrobial resistance surveillance system in Uzbekistan
- Workshop for strengthening the CAESAR network in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Join the conversation
Key resource
Central Asian and Eastern European Surveillance on Antimicrobial Resistance (CAESAR)A joint initiative to survey, contain and prevent the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance in the European Region.
Read morePublications
Central Asian and Eastern European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance. CAESAR Manual, Version 2, 2015
More publications
Data and statistics
25 000
The number of people out of 400 000 who die every year in the European Region due to an infection with a resistant bacterial strain.
More data and statistics
