title: Antimicrobial resistance: addressing the global threat through greater awareness and transformative action.
abstract: Antimicrobial therapies have played an unquestionably important role in advancing modern medical and surgical care, treating animals, reducing the global burden of communicable disease, and prolonging human life expectancy. These transformational benefits are threatened because of the rapidly advancing phenomenon of antimicrobial resistance. As a result of complex factors across many sectors and international actors, the global impact of antimicrobial resistance is an escalating economic and health crisis. This article draws on the collective expertise and summit report of the Antimicrobial Resistance Working Group from the 2013 World Innovation Summit for Health, in Doha, Qatar. It defines a framework of principles and tasks for key policy makers to raise international awareness of antimicrobial resistance and lead transformative action through policy-driven improvements in sanitation, antimicrobial conservation, agricultural practices, and research and development.
authors.affiliation: Oliver P. Keown (o.keown@imperial.ac.uk) is a clinical adviser and policy fellow at the Centre for Health Policy, Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London, in the United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Oliver P
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Keown
authors.affiliation: Will Warburton is forum director, World Innovation Summit for Health, Qatar Foundation, and a senior policy fellow at the Centre for Health Policy, Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London.
authors.forename: Will
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Warburton
authors.affiliation: Sally C. Davies is chair of the Forum on Antimicrobial Resistance at the World Innovation Summit for Health, Qatar Foundation, and chief medical officer for England and chief medical adviser and chief scientific adviser for the Department of Health, in London.
authors.forename: Sally C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.affiliation: Ara Darzi is executive chair of the World Innovation Summit for Health, Qatar Foundation, and director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London.
authors.forename: Ara
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Darzi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001364:Awareness; D003226:Congresses as Topic; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Health Promotion/Disease Prevention; International/global health studies; Medicine/Clinical Issues; Pharmaceuticals; Public Health