EDM: World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week 2025

World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week 2025

Tabled by Dr Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat) 20 signatures

The motion

That this House recognises and marks World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week 2025; notes that the theme this year is Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future and urges bold, united action; further notes that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) contributes to an estimated 35,200 deaths annually in the UK, with drug-resistant infections in humans rising by 13 per cent despite a target to reduce them by 10 per cent; acknowledges that, in England, 1 in 5 hospital beds are occupied by patients with infectious diseases, and those with resistant infections are more likely to die within 30 days than those with treatable infections; further recognises that it is estimated that AMR globally contributes to $412 billion a year in healthcare expenditure; also notes that infection diagnostic tests are advancing rapidly, particularly since the covid-19 pandemic and the rapid development of lateral flow tests and point-of-care technology; notes that early evidence shows that some newer infection diagnostic tests can have cost-saving benefits of over £8,000 per test and that smarter infection diagnostics, from rapid tools in GP surgeries to advanced hospital-based susceptibility tests, are central to delivering optimal infection care, enabling earlier interventions, targeted treatments, and more efficient use of NHS capacity; believes that despite their clinical and economic value, these tools remain underused; and further believes that it is imperative that findings from recent research are harnessed and that the Government must invest in infection diagnostics in the NHS.

Signatories (20)