Six steps to help prevent the global health threat – antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – in Cambodia

Imagine a world where common infections that are currently treatable turn fatal, or where common medical procedures like surgeries or cancer treatments come with unacceptable risks. Antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, is recognized as one of the top ten global public health threats facing humanity.

AMR happens when microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites) change and no longer respond to medicines. If antibiotics stop working, there will no longer be effective treatments for various diseases in humans and animals, which can lead to disease spread, severe illness and death.

Cambodia is part of the Western Pacific Region of the World Health Organization (WHO), where this "silent pandemic" is expected to cause 5.2 million deaths and cost US$ 148 million between 2020 and 2030.

The main drivers of AMR in Cambodia are the misuse and over-use of antimicrobial drugs such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antimalarials, antiparasitics and anthelmintics. However, this is not a problem that health-care workers or policy makers alone can solve.

We must all play our part to help prevent AMR and preserve the power of medicines to treat illness and save lives.

Here are six steps that we can all take to help prevent AMR all year long.

1. Know the facts. Antibiotics, or 'Thnam sas' are only effective against bacterial infections, not against viruses like avian influenza, seasonal flu, the common cold or the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19. Symptoms such as general pain, sore throats, fever, and runny nose are often not treatable with antibiotics.
2. Follow professional advice. Only take antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antimalarials, antiparasitics and anthelmintics when they are prescribed by a certified health-care professional.
3. Never use leftover antibiotics or share them with others.
4. Finish all of your medicine as advised by your certified health-care professional - don't simply stop because you feel better.
5. Treat common viruses at home. If you have symptoms such as a cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, headache and fatigue, stay home and treat the symptoms. If you suspect you have developed a bacterial infection, consult a certified health-care provider.
6. Prevent infections by getting vaccinated, washing your hands frequently with soap and water (especially before eating and after going to the toilet) and practising safer sex.

Tackling AMR requires actions across different sectors, as drug-resistant microorganisms can spread between and within animal, human and plant populations, and migrate through the environment.

Cambodians involved in farming can help prevent AMR too - find out more here from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

The challenges of AMR are complex, but not impossible to solve. Tackling AMR will help save lives, preserve the use of antimicrobials for future generations and secure a healthier and safer future for all Cambodians.

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