Our mother Peggy was a healthy, vibrant, 56-year-old kindergarten teacher when she was struck with a Clostridium difficile infection in April 2010.

Following a normal root canal, our mother was prescribed a powerful antibiotic for prophylaxis. A few days into the course of antibiotics, she came down with diarrhea. When it failed to resolve, we took her to the hospital assuming she had a virus or parasite and needed hydration. Despite the best efforts of the medical team using the strongest antibiotics they had, 36 hours later she was dead. We started the Peggy Lillis Foundation in our mother’s memory. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

After my daughter Erin died of sepsis, I founded the Sepsis Alliance to save lives by raising awareness of sepsis as a medical emergency.

Sepsis is the body’s life-threatening response to infection and is treated mainly with antibiotics. Antimicrobial resistant (AMR) infections make sepsis treatment more difficult, if not completely ineffective. The current global sepsis death toll is unacceptable at approximately 8 million victims yearly. If we lose the effectiveness of antibiotics, that number will be catastrophically surpassed. I’m fighting for a world where no one is harmed by sepsis, and raising AMR awareness is part of that fight. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

Our beautiful 12-year-old son, Rory, fell playing basketball and grazed his elbow. Despite bringing him to his pediatrician and a major hospital emergency room when he became ill, Rory died four days later, from undiagnosed and untreated sepsis. The mortality rate from sepsis increases by over eight percent for every hour that antibiotic treatment is delayed. That’s why the protocol for sepsis is a fast diagnostic workup, prompt treatment with antibiotics and systematic re-evaluation to determine if the antibiotics should be adjusted or stopped. Rory never received antibiotics. We founded the Rory Staunton Foundation in memory of our son to spread awareness of sepsis and to ensure that every hospital in the United States adopts a responsible sepsis protocol. Through our work, we hope to prevent other families from experiencing such a devastating loss. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

I was a healthy 25-year-old newly wed when an antimicrobial-resistant infection turned my life upside down.

In extreme pain, I went to an emergency room where I was misdiagnosed with a strep infection, treated with antibiotics and sent home. In no time, the infection moved to my lungs and landed me in the ICU. Different doctors then diagnosed my condition as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a very difficult staph infection for which the initial antibiotic no longer worked. After quarantine and many weeks of treatment, I was released. We never did learn how I got the infection. Today, I live with a chronic cough and the reality that the infection might return. And while I survived, 700,000* people die every year around the world from incurable infections—and this is getting worse rather than better. AMR is a ticking time bomb. I support the effort to raise awareness so you, and your family, never face what I have been enduring. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

* The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance Chaired by Jim O’Neill. Antimicrobial resistance: Tackling a crisis for the health and wealth of nations. 2014.

When I arrived at the hospital for a cut on my leg in 2013, I thought I would be treated, healed and sent home good as new.

Instead, I contracted C. difficile, which was the start of a struggle with my health that continued for many years. In the first week of contraction, I lost 15% of my body mass and almost lost my life. I became determined to do something to prevent the transmission of this devastating, sometimes resistant, bacteria. Partnering with a multidisciplinary team at Vancouver Coastal Health, we developed a successful C. difficile canine scent detection program. Now, we search hospitals every day with our trusted companions, including Angus, who use their super sniffers to detect the bacterium and help identify gaps in infection control and prevention practices. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

Animals are precious to our Maasai tribe, but I never expected I would contract zoonotic tuberculosis (TB) from our staple foods—un-boiled milk, rare meat and blood.

I was treated with a wide range of antibiotics due to misdiagnosis until I was finally admitted to Nairobi hospital where lab tests confirmed TB. The seven months of anti-TB drugs and month of injections changed me forever. I since started an NGO to educate communities on TB. We collect sputum from suspected patients, educate on the importance of getting tested and counsel on treatment adherence. Additionally, we help build windows in our Maasai manyattas (huts) to ensure proper ventilation, which helps prevent the spread of TB. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

AMR is a serious problem in Kenya and the Ministry of Health takes this problem seriously.

One of the key problems is the procurement of antibiotics over the counter. Anyone can access antibiotics without necessarily having a prescription from the doctor. This unsupervised consumption of antibiotics contributes to antibiotic resistance. But there are many other drivers for AMR and we need to address them holistically and at every healthcare facility. We need robust policies. These changes must happen not only at the national level but also at the county and community level. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

It seems strange to call myself a “resistance fighter” since I spend most of my life promoting peace and aiding those affected by conflict and violence.

But refugees and forced migrants are highly vulnerable to antimicrobial resistance, so I pledge to inform them of this danger through ICMC’s primary healthcare and hygiene education programs. We cannot allow refugees and forced migrants to face the risk of a new threat—that of AMR. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

I had the pleasure of leading the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance on behalf of the British Government.

This AMR Review concluded that if we don’t undertake big policy initiatives, by 2050 there could be 10 million people around the world dying from AMR-related illnesses. Moreover, we projected that the lost economic potential due to AMR between 2015 and 2050 could be a staggering $100 trillion. Ten different intervention areas require serious policy attention, only some of which are making progress. Among the most important is the need for rapid and affordable diagnostics. We need modern technology to discipline all seven billion of us to stop pressuring our medical practitioners to prescribe antibiotics when they aren’t necessary, and the food industry needs to stop fattening animals and fish with antibiotics, in order to permanently reduce our excessive dependence on the few drugs that work and the new ones we hope to have in the future. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

As Chief Medical Officer for England, and as a doctor, I know the very real danger that AMR and drug-resistant infections pose, at home and around the world.

That’s why, as co-convener of the UN Inter-Agency Coordination Group on AMR, I work closely with other countries and international organisations to ensure we collaborate to combat AMR. A “One Health” approach is vital to ensure AMR is addressed across human and veterinary health, as well as in food and the environment. I will continue to engage with government departments, health agencies, the private sector, academics, professionals and, of course, the public, on the role that we can all play in reducing this deadly threat. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

Heading 5

My focus is to identify organisms that cause infection, determine if they are resistant to antimicrobials and confirm if there’s a drug that will work. Experts predict that AMR may one day cause more deaths than cancer does today. I am determined to not see that happen, and this is why I am always vigilant against AMR. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

Heading 6

My focus is to identify organisms that cause infection, determine if they are resistant to antimicrobials and confirm if there’s a drug that will work. Experts predict that AMR may one day cause more deaths than cancer does today. I am determined to not see that happen, and this is why I am always vigilant against AMR. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

Our mother Peggy was a healthy, vibrant, 56-year-old kindergarten teacher when she was struck with a Clostridium difficile infection in April 2010.

Following a normal root canal, our mother was prescribed a powerful antibiotic for prophylaxis. A few days into the course of antibiotics, she came down with diarrhea. When it failed to resolve, we took her to the hospital assuming she had a virus or parasite and needed hydration. Despite the best efforts of the medical team using the strongest antibiotics they had, 36 hours later she was dead. We started the Peggy Lillis Foundation in our mother’s memory. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

It seems strange to call myself a “resistance fighter” since I spend most of my life promoting peace and aiding those affected by conflict and violence.

But refugees and forced migrants are highly vulnerable to antimicrobial resistance, so I pledge to inform them of this danger through ICMC’s primary healthcare and hygiene education programs. We cannot allow refugees and forced migrants to face the risk of a new threat—that of AMR. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

At FIND, we drive product development and delivery to address antibiotic overuse.

Our established R&D portfolio includes diagnostics that can tell us who actually needs antibiotics and which ones will be most effective. Beyond our extensive work in diagnostics of fever, we are expanding into gonorrhea and UTIs—common diseases in which AMR is a particular challenge—partnering with industry, academia, donors and governments to translate R&D advances into impactful interventions. Besides the critical R&D gaps that must be filled, there are also significant access barriers to overcome. Implementing an end-to-end solution bridging science, diagnostic use, communities and patients is the only way we will beat AMR. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

There are compelling economic and health arguments for addressing AMR.

Simply stated, the cost of treating tuberculosis is minuscule compared to treating somebody with drug resistance. We need rapid diagnostics that can quickly diagnose whether the person has a viral, bacterial or resistant infection. If I was an investor today, I would look at companion diagnostics for antibiotics in development. AMR requires a multi-faceted approach but diagnostics is the door that can really open up the potential to reverse the AMR threat. We need governments, industry, investors, and healthcare systems to attack it. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

AMR is a threat to the human race.

Nowhere is this truer than in my home country of Nigeria. The recent emergence of multidrug-resistant organisms has led to increased mortality and economic burden. Prescription monitoring is poor and antimicrobials are routinely sold over-the-counter–encouraging the misuse and overuse of drugs that lead to resistance. AMR must be overcome to combat infectious disease. I work daily with GBCHealth and our corporate partners to advocate for the importance of appropriate stewardship, prevention and R&D for new tools to fight against AMR. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

Animals are precious to our Maasai tribe, but I never expected I would contract zoonotic tuberculosis (TB) from our staple foods—un-boiled milk, rare meat and blood.

I was treated with a wide range of antibiotics due to misdiagnosis until I was finally admitted to Nairobi hospital where lab tests confirmed TB. The seven months of anti-TB drugs and month of injections changed me forever. I since started an NGO to educate communities on TB. We collect sputum from suspected patients, educate on the importance of getting tested and counsel on treatment adherence. Additionally, we help build windows in our Maasai manyattas (huts) to ensure proper ventilation, which helps prevent the spread of TB. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

I believe that governments must make AMR a priority both at a national and global level based on principles of shared responsibility and global solidarity.

There is a need to invest in training, education and scaling diagnostics not only at a country level but also at a regional level. We need global laboratory networks to identify and share the resistance data. Resistant bugs can transcend borders and therefore I say that there is a need for collective action because patients depend on us. Governments, health agencies, industry and civil society should all work together. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

As Scientific Lead for the NCCID, I see the importance of applying the best available research evidence and practice-based knowledge to make headway on the ‘wicked problem’ of antibiotic resistance. NCCID provides evidence and other knowledge for infectious disease public health and is uniquely situated to bring together many sectors and disciplines that must engage in solutions to this global public health threat. With our collaborators, we work to identify systems-level barriers and gaps in stewardship and surveillance, opportunities for scale-up of leading practices, and build broader awareness of the role of public health professionals in combatting AMR. Because we all need to be resistance fighters.

As Chair of the Global Sepsis Alliance, I understand the critical nature of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Sepsis, the most serious complication of infection, is, absent appropriate and timely clinical management, almost universally fatal. To help combat its spread, the WHO has issued an important resolution, Improving the Prevention, Diagnosis and Clinical Management of Sepsis. It urges all UN Member States to secure access to effective antimicrobials and to use them responsibly. We know that delayed, incomplete and ineffective therapies contribute to the increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance, so we encourage every effort to improve prevention, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

After my daughter Erin died of sepsis, I founded the Sepsis Alliance to save lives by raising awareness of sepsis as a medical emergency.

Sepsis is the body’s life-threatening response to infection and is treated mainly with antibiotics. Antimicrobial resistant (AMR) infections make sepsis treatment more difficult, if not completely ineffective. The current global sepsis death toll is unacceptable at approximately 8 million victims yearly. If we lose the effectiveness of antibiotics, that number will be catastrophically surpassed. I’m fighting for a world where no one is harmed by sepsis, and raising AMR awareness is part of that fight. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

When I arrived at the hospital for a cut on my leg in 2013, I thought I would be treated, healed and sent home good as new.

Instead, I contracted C. difficile, which was the start of a struggle with my health that continued for many years. In the first week of contraction, I lost 15% of my body mass and almost lost my life. I became determined to do something to prevent the transmission of this devastating, sometimes resistant, bacteria. Partnering with a multidisciplinary team at Vancouver Coastal Health, we developed a successful C. difficile canine scent detection program. Now, we search hospitals every day with our trusted companions, including Angus, who use their super sniffers to detect the bacterium and help identify gaps in infection control and prevention practices. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

Early detection, timely treatment, ongoing adherence to a treatment plan and routine monitoring are important to ensuring people living with HIV/AIDS can manage their infections and live healthier lives.

When gaps in routine laboratory monitoring for CD4 and HIV viral load cause resistant strains of the HIV virus to go undetected, it impedes an individual’s survival and enables transmission of resistant infections. This poses a significant challenge to our progress against HIV. At Siriraj Hospital, we offer a free external quality assurance program for CD4 testing labs to ensure all patients have access to quality routine monitoring with CD4. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

Surveillance is critical in identifying alarming trends related to antimicrobial resistance and antibiotics use. As an epidemiologist, I analyze and monitor prescription rates and the types of antibiotics prescribed, as well as resistance patterns of important pathogens. By transforming this raw data into meaningful pictures for healthcare professionals and the public alike, I’m helping all of us to better understand how to slow these trends down, even though we cannot stop them. But this fight cannot be fought by healthcare professionals alone. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

As someone deeply concerned about global health, I know it’s vital that we find novel classes of antibiotics to combat AMR. We’ve had no antibiotic breakthroughs since 1980. That’s why I cofounded a startup to develop a completely new generation of antibiotics designed to treat the most challenging infections across the globe. At Bugworks, we’re committed to finding first-in-class, broad-spectrum agents to fight against all of the superbugs identified by the WHO and CDC. We are a team of just 18 people, but we’re determined to find the treatments that India—and the rest of the world—so urgently needs. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

One of the great struggles of our time is preserving the value of antibiotics and their benefit to health. From research, to health promotion, to working with colleagues in all prescribing professions, our team at the BC Centre for Disease Control is fighting to reduce antibiotic resistance. We work with healthcare professionals and policy makers to limit antibiotics misuse and to implement campaigns to raise awareness and promote good hygiene practices that can prevent infections. But this battle cannot be won by healthcare professionals and legislators alone. Our fight is your fight, too. We need your help combating antimicrobial resistance, every day, through good hygiene at home and at school. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

One of the great struggles of our time is preserving the value of antibiotics and their benefit to health. From research, to health promotion, to working with colleagues in all prescribing professions, our team at the BC Centre for Disease Control is fighting to reduce antibiotic resistance. We work with healthcare professionals and policy makers to limit antibiotics misuse and to implement campaigns to raise awareness and promote good hygiene practices that can prevent infections. But this battle cannot be won by healthcare professionals and legislators alone. Our fight is your fight, too. We need your help combating antimicrobial resistance, every day, through good hygiene at home and at school. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

As an antimicrobial stewardship pharmacist, I witness the impact of antimicrobial resistance daily. I have seen infections due to resistant pathogens lead to potentially fatal delays in effective treatment, and the need to use toxic and otherwise suboptimal antibiotics to manage these infections. This is why I insist on developing personalized antimicrobial regimens to get our patients on the right antibiotic regimen as soon as possible. To do this, I analyze local and national resistance trends, utilize rapid diagnostic tests, assess patient risk factors for drug-resistant infections, and optimize the use of new antimicrobials. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

I have been a clinical microbiologist for more than 40 years. While directing the microbiology laboratories at two different children’s hospitals, I have witnessed how improper antibiotics use has created a global public health crisis of emerging resistant organisms. One of my most important functions is to make sure my laboratory provides physicians with the information they need to make rational antibiotic treatment decisions. New testing technology is enabling us to supply this information in a fraction of the time than we could ten years ago. Clinical microbiologists are proud to be part of the team that is making the world a safer place. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

Combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

Having worked for 30 years to improve tracking, treatment and control of drug-resistant infections, I’m left with no doubt that we face a grave threat from rising antimicrobial resistance. Improving global detection and control is vital to stop the spread of superbugs. My research group is close to bringing bacterial DNA sequencing—the blueprint that helps us understand how these complex pathogens are evolving—into everyday use in settings such as hospitals. And the international expert group, SEDRIC, which I chair, is helping improve global understanding of where and why resistance is emerging and how many people are affected. We need this knowledge to drive changes in human and animal health and the environment to tackle and stop superbugs. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

Early detection, timely treatment, ongoing adherence to a treatment plan and routine monitoring are important to ensuring people living with HIV/AIDS can manage their infections and live healthier lives.

When gaps in routine laboratory monitoring for CD4 and HIV viral load cause resistant strains of the HIV virus to go undetected, it impedes an individual’s survival and enables transmission of resistant infections. This poses a significant challenge to our progress against HIV. At Siriraj Hospital, we offer a free external quality assurance program for CD4 testing labs to ensure all patients have access to quality routine monitoring with CD4. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

As an infectious disease specialist working in Jakarta, Indonesia, we have several policies on antimicrobial stewardship.

Since we were not able to effectively implement these policies for each hospital and needed a more robust implementation program, I created the RASPRO method. At the core of the RASPRO method is an applicative system, “The Rule of 3 PIE,” which runs an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) to ensure prudent use of antibiotics. This method is formulated from more than 120 journals and textbooks, and adjusted to the real-time field situation in each hospital. The latest qualitative antibiotic compliance is more than 70%—we did it! We now have a community of 150 doctors, clinicians, clinical pathologists and clinical microbiologists working together to discuss and impact issues on ASP. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

As a hospital pharmacist, I know that inappropriate use of antimicrobials can create life-threatening risks for patients and reduce the effectiveness of new and existing drugs.

This is why I work closely with medical and laboratory teams to ensure patient treatment decisions are based on timely diagnostic tests that accurately identify infectious pathogens. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

As the CEO of a healthcare system, ensuring patient safety and providing quality care are my key areas of focus. This includes reducing the risk of adverse events, such as hospital-acquired infections, and managing resistant organisms in my healthcare system. I want to enable the best possible outcomes for patients and employees while minimizing risks and costs, which is why I deploy rigorous infection prevention guidelines, advocate for strong awareness of antimicrobial stewardship and encourage physicians and partners to use smarter diagnostic practices. As the uncertainty around the financial and regulatory environment continues to increase, I need to work with all of my partners in the healthcare system to reduce costs and risks associated with AMR. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

Combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

Surveillance is critical in identifying alarming trends related to antimicrobial resistance and antibiotics use. As an epidemiologist, I analyze and monitor prescription rates and the types of antibiotics prescribed, as well as resistance patterns of important pathogens. By transforming this raw data into meaningful pictures for healthcare professionals and the public alike, I’m helping all of us to better understand how to slow these trends down, even though we cannot stop them. But this fight cannot be fought by healthcare professionals alone. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

As a microbiologist, I have an up-close view of the antimicrobial resistant bacteria that threaten human lives every day.

My focus is to identify organisms that cause infection, determine if they are resistant to antimicrobials and confirm if there’s a drug that will work. Experts predict that AMR may one day cause more deaths than cancer does today. I am determined to not see that happen, and this is why I am always vigilant against AMR. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

As a mother, I worry about my child’s safety in a world where antibiotics won’t necessarily treat infections. I teach him that good hygiene habits, like washing his hands, are important for staying healthy. Still, it’s impossible to protect him from every germ. When he does get a cold, I no longer insist that his doctor prescribe antibiotics, because I now understand that antibiotics only treat bacterial infections, not viral ones, and that my son should only take them when absolutely necessary. I advocate for education on antibiotics, because no parent should have to fear for their child’s life from illnesses that were once easily curable. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

As a primary care physician, I see many patients with a fever who expect to receive an antibiotic.

But antibiotics cannot cure a viral infection and antibiotic misuse contributes to the spread of AMR, which can be life-threatening for my patients. This is why I insist on getting an accurate diagnostic to guide my antimicrobial prescribing and why I support the efforts to combat AMR. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

As a specialist in infectious diseases, I know that even routine medical procedures can become life-threatening for my patients because of AMR.

This is why I insist on ordering the right diagnostic tests to determine whether an infecting organism is resistant and which drugs will work, as well as ensuring tight adherence to infection control protocols. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

As an infection control practitioner, I realize most patients don’t know that common bacteria, including resistant organisms that may be present on their own skin, can cause life-threatening infections after undergoing surgery.

This is why I ensure careful adherence to patient skin preparation and other protocols to reduce infections associated with surgery or other invasive procedures. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

As a microbiologist, I have an up-close view of the antimicrobial resistant bacteria that threaten human lives every day.

My focus is to identify organisms that cause infection, determine if they are resistant to antimicrobials and confirm if there’s a drug that will work. Experts predict that AMR may one day cause more deaths than cancer does today. I am determined to not see that happen, and this is why I am always vigilant against AMR. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

Heading 2

My focus is to identify organisms that cause infection, determine if they are resistant to antimicrobials and confirm if there’s a drug that will work. Experts predict that AMR may one day cause more deaths than cancer does today. I am determined to not see that happen, and this is why I am always vigilant against AMR. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

Heading 3

My focus is to identify organisms that cause infection, determine if they are resistant to antimicrobials and confirm if there’s a drug that will work. Experts predict that AMR may one day cause more deaths than cancer does today. I am determined to not see that happen, and this is why I am always vigilant against AMR. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

Heading 4

My focus is to identify organisms that cause infection, determine if they are resistant to antimicrobials and confirm if there’s a drug that will work. Experts predict that AMR may one day cause more deaths than cancer does today. I am determined to not see that happen, and this is why I am always vigilant against AMR. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

Heading 5

My focus is to identify organisms that cause infection, determine if they are resistant to antimicrobials and confirm if there’s a drug that will work. Experts predict that AMR may one day cause more deaths than cancer does today. I am determined to not see that happen, and this is why I am always vigilant against AMR. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.

Heading 6

My focus is to identify organisms that cause infection, determine if they are resistant to antimicrobials and confirm if there’s a drug that will work. Experts predict that AMR may one day cause more deaths than cancer does today. I am determined to not see that happen, and this is why I am always vigilant against AMR. Because all of us need to be resistance fighters.