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
European Antibiotic Awareness Day 2013: everyone is responsible
Mapping both the consumption of antibiotics and the resistance patterns of infectious agents is important to spot and tackle a growing public health problem.
What you need to know about antibiotic resistanceNews
- Region-wide celebration of European Antibiotic Awareness Day
- WHO/Europe supports Albania in development of plan to combat antimicrobial resistance
- Feeding the world safely
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
Tackling antibiotic resistance from a food safety perspective in Europe
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
