The AMR Narrative

24/11/2025

Some might call it the last day of World AMR Awareness Week, but we believe that the 24th of November should reinvigorate our efforts going forward throughout the year, reminding us that patients are central to everything we do, and that Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) should be tackled through everyday interactions and partnerships between patients and doctors.

Read Gavin Schranz’s powerful story of ongoing survival. As a renal patient, having suffered multiple infections, he works closely with his medical teams to reduce risks, asking questions like “Which antibiotics still work?” or “Can we target treatment more precisely?” to help protect himself and preserve these life-saving medicines for others.

https://amrnarrative.org/working-with-my-doctors-to-reduce-risks-around-antimicrobial-resistance/

Living with kidney disease and learning about AMRMy name is Gavin Schranz and I am 27 years old from Malta. I was born with a congenital kidney condition, and hospitals have been part of my life since childhood. Kidney disease has shaped many decisions, but infections have shaped my understanding of...

21/11/2025

It’s World AMR Awareness Week, and part of our charity's efforts are focused on debunking common misconceptions. Let’s start with a basic one: why antibiotics don’t work for viral infections such as colds and flu.

As Dr Francesco M. Labricciosa explains in his blog, taking an antibiotic for a viral infection is “like eating soup with a fork”. Antibiotics aren’t designed to treat viruses; they are made to target bacterial infections. When we use them incorrectly, we put ourselves and others at risk.

Read the blog here: https://amrnarrative.org/2025/11/20/why-are-antibiotics-ineffective-against-viruses

20/11/2025

Did you know that it is World AMR Awareness Week?

Every 18th-24th November, the global health community unites for World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW), an annual campaign led by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise awareness of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and promote the responsible use of antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics.

Read more about World AMR Awareness Week here as well as about some of our tools and resources including a social media advocacy toolkit, explainer video and AMR Heroes song to help you get involved.

https://amrnarrative.org/world-amr-awareness-week-waaw/

📅 Dates: 18–24 November every year🌍 Led by: World Health Organization (WHO)💬 Theme 2025: Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future📢 Hashtags: 💡 Goal: Promote awareness and encourage responsible antimicrobial useEver...

07/11/2025

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) could claim 10 million lives every year by 2050.

Despite major milestones, one crucial element remains overlooked: the central role of prevention.

The best outcome? Stop infections before they occur.
Prevention reduces illness, saves costs, slows resistance and ultimately saves lives.

Every infection prevented is one less opportunity for resistance to spread.
Let’s make prevention the foundation of AMR strategy, not a side note.

Read our latest blog highlighting the role of prevention in tackling AMR:
https://amrnarrative.org/2025/11/03/infection-prevention-amr

Most readers are (hopefully) well aware of the serious threat posed by antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which could claim up to 10 million lives globally each year by 2050. In response, policymakers at the global, European, and national levels have mobilised landmark initiatives — most recently the...

04/11/2025

🌍 Yesterday was One Health Day!

But what does that mean for patients, carers, the public, policymakers, and healthcare stakeholders when it comes to tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR)?

In our latest blog, Professor Sabiha Essack explores the vital links between human, animal, food, and environmental health and explains why only a holistic One Health approach can help us fight this growing global threat.

After all, many of the same precious antimicrobial medicines we rely on as patients (e.g. antibiotics) are also used, and sometimes misused, in animals and other sectors. Understanding these connections is key to safeguarding them for everyone.

https://amrnarrative.org/2025/11/04/fighting-amr-a-one-health-call-to-action

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens to undermine a century of medical progress. Once-treatable infections are becoming harder—and sometimes impossible—to cure. The problem is not confined to hospitals or human medicine; it is woven through the food we eat, the water we drink, the animals we...

13/10/2025

Our Executive Director and a patient with lived experience, Vanessa Carter shared her views at the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) Congress in Birmingham during September. Read more about the event below, along with some of the positive feedback we received from the Specialist Advisory Panel for Microbiology on why hearing patient stories matters to their work, kindly written by one of our external advisors Hamu Madzedze.

https://amrnarrative.org/patient-insights-at-the-institute-of-biomedical-science-ibms-congress-2025

The IBMS Congress 2025 was held from September 22 to 25, 2025 at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, UK. It is the largest biennial gathering of Biomedical Scientists in the UK, attracting professionals from hospitals, research labs, and industry.The congress featured a broad scientif...

09/10/2025

What is a National Action Plan for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), and what are the good, the bad, and the ugly behind their meaningful implementation?

Read our latest blog contributed by Professor Marc Mendelson to learn more:
https://amrnarrative.org/2025/10/09/national-action-plans-naps-to-mitigate-amr-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/

In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) published its Global Action Plan (GAP) on Antimicrobial Resistance (see here) under instruction from the World Health Assembly. This was in response to the increasing urgency to mitigate the global rise in antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.Antibio...

29/09/2025

We're excited to take part in this week’s timely discussion on Addressing the Inequalities of AMR in Europe: Reducing the Burden for Greater Collective Well-Being at the European Health Forum Gastein 2025.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is responsible for approximately 35,000 deaths annually in the EU/EEA. By 2050, this number will hit 390,000. With no time to waste, this interactive session will discuss the challenges of tackling AMR in Europe, zooming in on current inequalities and gaps and how these can be addressed.

Our Executive Director will be joined by leading voices in the fight against AMR, including Ariane Vander Stappen, Anna Thomas and Wojciech Feleszko. The session will be moderated by Mariam Zaidi.

For those heading to Gastein, this discussion is one not to be missed – join us at Kursaal, from 16:15-17:30 on Thursday, 2 October. If you aren’t attending the conference, you can sign up for online participation here: https://lnkd.in/esFyutde

For further information on the session, click here: https://lnkd.in/e48DV_fh

14/08/2025

Last month, we proudly released "AMR Heroes", a song co-created by The AMR Narrative (UK) and Hope Music Foundation (Uganda) with support from the One Life music and podcast channel to honour everyone working tirelessly to tackle Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).

Today, we’re excited to share that AMR Heroes is now available on all major music streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes Store, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal, and Pandora.

If you use TikTok, Facebook or Instagram, it's available there too so you can add it as a background track in your posts!

Visit the smart link here to listen to the song on your preferred platform and show support for our initiative: https://ditto.fm/amr-heroes

Listen to AMR Heroes

04/08/2025

After 45 years in education, Christopher Shaffer faced a life-threatening ESBL E. coli infection. When all antibiotics failed, in desperation, he turned to phage therapy.

This blog also includes Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about phage therapy answered by The AMR Narrative.

Read his story here:
https://amrnarrative.org/a-novel-treatment-for-antibiotic-resistance-that-impacted-my-journey/

My name is Chris Shaffer and for 45 years I worked in public education in Ohio and California, USA. I was a music and special education teacher early in my career before becoming a high school principal and district leader. Toward the end of my career, I moved back into the classroom for 6 years

30/07/2025

CPE Infections: What They Are and Why They Matter to Us All

Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacterales (CPE) are a group of bacteria that have developed resistance to some of our strongest antibiotics: carbapenems. Once carbapenems fail, physicians are left with fewer antibiotic choices.

Read our latest blog by Demi Christofi to learn more.

https://amrnarrative.org/2025/07/25/cpe-infections-what-they-are-and-why-they-matter-to-us-all

This blog post explores Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacterales (CPE), a subset of multidrug-resistant organisms that continue to challenge infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship.What are CPE infections?Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacterales (CPE) are a group of bacteria that have dev...

24/07/2025

On 10 July 2025, our Executive Director and AMR Patient Survivor and Advocate, Vanessa Carter, was delighted to take part in a panel discussion at the Shionogi London office to address the urgent global health threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Among the panellists was an unexpected advocate, actor Bill Pullman, best known for his numerous roles, including in the film Independence Day.

Joining Vanessa and Bill on the panel were Dr Alicia Demirjian, Consultant in Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Clinical Lead for Antimicrobial Resistance & Prescribing at the UK Health Security Agency, and Huw Tippett, current CEO of Shionogi Europe. The discussion was moderated by Jo Taylor and Sarah Hornby from Shionogi Europe Corporate Affairs.

Inspired by his brother, an infectious disease specialist, Bill has become an active voice for AMR awareness, using his platform to help communicate this critical issue more widely. He is currently producing a documentary featuring leading global experts to highlight the scale and urgency of the problem.

During a wide-ranging discussion, the panel reflected on the need to rethink how we engage patients and the public as well as policy audiences on AMR. A ‘moonshot’ approach was proposed, one where people from all sectors are united by a shared mission to inspire action and change minds.

Read more about the discussion here: https://amrnarrative.org/in-conversation-with-bill-pullman-breaking-the-silence-on-amr