The Global Handwashing Partnership

November 21, 2024

Written by:
Ron Clemmer, Program Director, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, FHI 360
Yasser Sanad, Technical Advisor, Emerging Infectious Diseases and Health Security, FHI 360

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week serves as a crucial time to spotlight the global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) — a phenomenon where bacteria, viruses, and fungi evolve to resist the drugs designed to eliminate them. This resistance poses severe risks to public health, economic stability, and healthcare systems worldwide.

AMR significantly impacts human health, leading to prolonged hospital stays, higher mortality rates, and increased medical expenses. Furthermore, AMR transcends boundaries by spreading between people, animals, and the environment, making it a significant concern for the One Health approach and threatens global food security by affecting the safety and sustainability of food production systems.

Economically, AMR could cause annual losses in global gross domestic product (GDP) ranging from US$1 – 3.4 trillion by 2030, underscoring the urgent need for collective action. Combatting AMR requires a multi-faceted approach, with prevention at its core. Intervention to curb the development and spread of AMR must prioritize effective Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) practices and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) strategies.

How Can We Prevent AMR?

Preventing AMR requires a multi-pronged approach that includes improved antimicrobial stewardship, robust infection prevention, and proactive measures to slow the spread of resistance. To prevent AMR, we must do the following:

1. Improve Antimicrobial Use: Proper antimicrobial use in both humans and animals is critical to preventing the emergence of AMR. This involves adhering to prescribed antibiotic guidelines, avoiding misuse or overuse, and ensuring antibiotics are only used when necessary. Responsible practices in veterinary medicine and agriculture are equally important to reduce AMR transmission through the food chain.
2. Strengthen WASH and IPC Practices: Effective WASH and IPC practices are central to infection reduction and the containment of AMR. Access to clean and safe water, proper sanitation systems, and hygiene practices like regular and thorough handwashing can significantly reduce the occurrence of infections, thereby decreasing the need for antibiotics. In healthcare settings, IPC includes vital practices like maintaining hand hygiene, using personal protective equipment (PPE), proper sterilization and disinfection of medical equipment, and implementing isolation protocols to prevent the spread of infectious agents.
3. Ensure an Integrated Approach for Broader Impact: The integration of WASH and IPC strategies forms a comprehensive framework for infection prevention in healthcare facilities, communities, and animal health systems. This dual approach not only stops the immediate spread of infections, but it also builds a long-term defense against the emergence and spread of AMR.

Call to Action: What is Our Role?

Prevention measures, particularly WASH and IPC practices, are indispensable elements in the fight against AMR. Beyond their crucial role in reducing AMR, WASH and IPC practices have several positive health and financial effects, such as lowering infection rates, improving healthcare outcomes, and cutting expenses.

Preventing AMR requires the collective efforts from individuals, healthcare providers, WASH professionals, policymakers, and communities. This is our call to action:

• Individuals should advocate for improved WASH access in their communities, embrace ethical antimicrobial use (AMU) practices, and maintain proper hygiene.
• Healthcare and WASH professionals should adopt and promote best practices in IPC and WASH to lower infections and guarantee efficient resource utilization.
• Policymakers should give priority to investments in WASH infrastructure, promote public awareness, and enforce regulations on AMU and environmental health.

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week serves as a critical platform to learn about AMR and engage in its prevention. It’s a call to action for collective responsibility. By working together and making prevention a priority, we can make significant strides in addressing this urgent global health threat, slow its spread, and safeguard healthcare systems, economies and lives worldwide.

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