# Drug-Resistant Bacteria Kill 1m Annually > WHO warns drug-resistant infections kill 1m people yearly, urging global action. - Title: Drug-Resistant Bacteria Kill 1m Annually · Allafrica - Summary: WHO warns drug-resistant infections kill 1m people yearly, urging global action. Drug-resistant bacterial infections kill about one million people globally… - Keywords: drug-resistant bacteria, amr, one health, global action plan, antibiotic resistance, bacterial infections, public health, news, world, politics, Drug-Resistant, Bacteria - Source: Allafrica — https://allafrica.com/stories/202610020382.html - Published: 2026-10-02T17:46:18+00:00 - Read time: 1 min - Topics: drug-resistant bacteria, who, amr, one health, global action plan, antibiotic resistance, bacterial infections, public health, news, world, politics ## WHO reports 1m annual deaths The World Health Organisation says drug-resistant bacterial infections kill about one million people globally every year. > drug-resistant bacterial infections kill about one million people globally every year ## AMR: Silent pandemic Jean-Pierre Nyemazi, WHO Acting Director of AMR Department, stated one million people die yearly from drug-resistant bacteria, two per minute. > one million people die every year due to drug-resistant bacteria alone - that is, two people every minute die of bacterial amr ## AMR requires urgent action Nyemazi called for coordinated action across human, animal, food and environmental sectors to curb drug-resistant bacterial infections. > we know what works to prevent and control the threat ## Prevention is key Nyemazi emphasized preventing infections through better vaccination, infection prevention and control, water sanitation and hygiene, and improved animal husbandry. > preventing infections is the number one priority. this can be done through better vaccination, infection prevention and control, water, sanitation and hygiene (wash), and improved animal husbandry ## One Health approach Nyemazi stressed the One Health approach linking human, animal, plant and environmental health to combat drug-resistant pathogens. > the one health approach, which recognises the links between human, animal, plant and environmental health, was essential because drug-resistant pathogens could move across sectors and borders ## Global Action Plan update WHO Member States approved an updated Global Action Plan on AMR at the World Health Assembly in May for a 10-year One Health approach. > the updated plan placed stronger emphasis on prevention, governance, behavioural change and measurable targets ## Parliament's role Martin Häusling, a European Parliament member, warned excessive antibiotic use in food-producing animals contributes to AMR. > when it comes to food-producing animals, we still use far too many last-resort antibiotics, and we must get away from that ## Survivor story AMR survivor Rob Purdie spent $250,000 on hospital costs and couldn't work for five years after delayed diagnosis. > my ability to earn a living was eliminated for about five years in a single-income household where i provided for my wife and two children ## Key takeaway Drug-resistant bacterial infections kill about one million people globally each year, requiring coordinated action across human, animal, food and environmental sectors to curb the threat.