UK to invest £210 million in global effort to monitor antimicrobial resistance

Antibiotic resistance

Source: © Artur Plawgo/Science Photo Library

Funds will support upgrades to laboratories and staff training

The UK government is to invest £210 million to increase international surveillance of drug-resistant bacteria. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), where bacteria cannot be effectively treated with antibiotics, is linked to 1.3 million deaths per year worldwide. The funding, from the UK’s aid budget, will support surveillance efforts in the 25 countries most affected by AMR.