The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised the alarm that the challenge of drug resistance is on the rise in Nigeria and beyond, thus becoming a national and global health challenge.

WHO Representative and Head of Mission in Nigeria, Dr. Pavel Ursu, raised this alarm in a statement released in Abuja on Tuesday to commemorate World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week 2025.

He highlighted the fact that the challenge is disproportionately targeting lower- and middle-income countries as well as vulnerable populations.

He noted that AMR is a multidimensional health threat to modern medicine, universal health coverage, and health security gains; and it is evolving rapidly, quietly reversing decades of medical progress, threatening the ability to treat even the most common illnesses.

He further noted that outbreaks of multidrug-resistant infections in poor Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) settings, and among vulnerable groups and children, are silently killing people in the community or hospital settings, thus jeopardising health systems including child mortality, maternal mortality, and other key indicators. “Drug-resistant infections are increasing, but the awareness, financing, investment and actions remain inadequate,” he noted.

He stated that in Nigeria, over 60,000 lives have been lost each year since 1990 due to AMR. In 2021 alone, an estimated 50,500 (36,900–64,100) deaths were attributed, and 227,000 (167,000–286,000) were associated with bacterial AMR, with the largest number of deaths occurring among the under-five age group.

“These alarming estimates and projections underscore the urgency for collective action with a whole-of-government and society approach. There is an urgent need to integrate AMR with Primary Health Care (PHC) to accelerate AMR response, achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) guided by WHO’s people-centred approach, with broader SWAp, food security, and climate change initiatives.

“From 18 to 24 November 2025, we join AMR stakeholders and the community to mark World AMR Awareness Week under the theme: ‘Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future’. The theme underscores the urgent need for bold, coordinated, cross-sectoral action to address AMR as a present danger that demands immediate, sustained action.”

Dr Ursu urged all stakeholders, including governments, civil society, health-care providers, veterinarians, farmers, environmental actors, and the public to translate political commitments into tangible, accountable, life-saving interventions.

He also suggested urgent actions to protect the present and secure the future, and to prioritise long-term investment and strategic action in the human, animal, and environmental health sectors. “We must strengthen AMR and One Health surveillance, national AMR surveys, ensure equitable access to quality medicines and diagnostics, foster innovation, and build resilient health systems that require long-term commitment and resources, including domestic financing.

“Investment in AMR action is an essential step towards a healthier, more secure future. Whether it is a hospital administrator establishing an antimicrobial stewardship team or a farmer adopting sustainable waste management practices, every action counts.

“No matter your role, whether shaping policy, delivering care, protecting ecosystems, or raising awareness, act now! Protecting our present, securing our future is a shared responsibility. Together, we can preserve the effectiveness of antimicrobials and ensure a healthier, more sustainable Nigeria for the generations to come,” he stated. (The Sun)