Preventing AMR from Surpassing Cancer

If you had to guess the leading causes of death of Americans, you’d be right to say heart disease and cancer, but that could change within the next two decades. What may take its place if nothing changes is AR, or antimicrobial resistance. Bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics have been on the rise for decades and are now a global public health threat.  

In the US, there are close to 3 million AR infections that kill 50,000 people a year. And more than a million deaths globally of all ages and genders. If the trend is not reversed, AR microbial infections will become harder to treat and will likely surpass cancer as the leading cause of worldwide death by 2050.  

A United Nations report rang the alarm 5 years ago and yet few new antimicrobials have come on the market since the 1980s. Developing a new antibiotic takes a decade and a billion dollars. For now, vaccines are our best hope and they work on all age groups and genders.  Vaccines prevent or lessen the impact of bacterial disease and stop the spread.  

It’s important that you rely on your physician to navigate the rash of vaccine misinformation on social media. It threatens our communities and the ability of our public health systems to function. Get vaccines for yourself and your family. If we act together, we can prevent AR bacterial infection from surpassing cancer as a leading cause of death in America.