Founded by Vanessa Carter, a patient advocate who survived a highly-resistant MRSA infection, The AMR Narrative was set up to promote and develop advocacy capacity among the public to improve participation and mobilise action against Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). As patients and consumers, pet owners, parents or carers we play a pivotal role in advocating for the appropriate use of antimicrobial medicines. By protecting antimicrobial medicines in humans, animals, the environment and food sectors we are ensuring a more sustainable future for everyone especially those who are most vulnerable to untreatable infections.
Developing public and patient capacity around AMR to encourage participation and advocacy through ongoing programmes, mentorship, tools and resources
Promoting public understanding and education for Antimicrobial Resistance through access to information and awareness raising
Building community and providing a platform for patients and the public to participate in events related to AMR, discover research projects and networking opportunities
Microbes are part of nature and live all around us. Some of them even live harmoniously inside our bodies, but every now and again a bad one can cause us to get sick from an infection. Microbes include bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites.
Antimicrobials are different medicines that can be grouped according to the microbes they target. A well-known antimicrobial medicine for bacterial infections is called antibiotics. Since they were first discovered, antimicrobial medicines have been overused and misused in humans, animals and the environment which has led to microbes evolving to resist their effect. AMR affects anyone who relies on antimicrobials such as those with TB, AIDS/HIV, Malaria, Cancer, Rare Diseases and Diabetes as well as patients undergoing medical treatments that put them at risk of infection such as surgery, dentistry or treatment for a Urinary Tract Infection (Bladder Infection).
treat bacterial infections
treat viral infections
treat fungal infections
treat parasitic infections
My Story: Ingrid Schoeman My name is Ingrid Schoeman. In 2012, tuberculosis (TB) nearly killed me. I was working as a dietitian in a public hospital in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa when I got sick. I was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and a lung biopsy confirmed that I had
My Story: Pernilla Rönnholm In 2011, I eagerly anticipated the arrival of our twins. With a family history rich in twin births, my worries were minimal, given that both my father and I were twins, and previous pregnancies had proceeded smoothly. However, during my 25th week of pregnancy, my water unexpectedly broke, leading to an
My Story: Ella Balasa When you first meet someone like me, you may only notice a raspy voice, a thinner frame, and a person who takes a lot of pills. But then you might hear the laboured breathing, the coughing that sounds like an interminable chest cold, the green mucus that flies up our windpipe
Advocacy plays a crucial role towards increasing awareness about the escalating threat of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and the pressing need to take measures to prevent it. Advocacy also serves to educate policymakers, healthcare professionals, and the general public about the significance of using antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines responsibly.
Raising our voices and creating awareness may also help to promote changes in prescribing practices, improved infection prevention and control measures, and increased funding for research and development of new antimicrobials. Furthermore, advocacy can encourage discussions around reducing the misuse of antibiotics in agriculture, which is a significant contributor to the problem of AMR that ultimately has an impact on human health.
Organisations and events our AMR advocates have shared their narratives at or worked with:
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