WAAW 2025: AMR is everyone’s issue and needs everyone’s action

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) 2025 will take place from November 18 to 24, 2025.

One out of every six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections globally is now resistant to antibiotic treatment, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). However, although at the global level international organisations continue to keep antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on the agenda, at regional and national levels attention is not always consistent. 

In many countries of the Global South, including Indonesia, shifting political priorities, limited resources and competing emergencies can cause the AMR agenda to appear hindered. Therefore, it is important to find inclusive, creative, and community-driven ways to keep AMR relevant to the public, beyond technical discussions among experts.

Antimicrobial resistance is often framed as a scientific and clinical issue, discussed in hospitals or laboratories by researchers, doctors, veterinarians and microbiologists. But in truth, it is meant to touch every one of us—our families, our food, our animals and our environment. 

AMR is a One Health challenge that can have an impact on human, livestock, wildlife and ecosystem health. It is happening now, and broader public attention as well as sustained action are needed. To reach those goals, we must make AMR personal, relatable and participatory for all.

Previously, AMR education efforts mostly focused on direct users of antimicrobials such as farmers, patients and doctors who prescribe antibiotics. This made the issue feel limited to certain groups and situations, so it often seemed distant from people’s daily lives. We need to make the public aware that they also play an important role in fighting antimicrobial resistance through their everyday actions.

Besides continuing to promote the prudent use of antimicrobials, it is also important to raise public awareness about knowing and choosing their food sources wisely. For example, when buying chicken meat, are we sure that the chicken was raised responsibly by farmers who use antimicrobials properly? Was the meat processed with good hygiene and sanitation standards? These small reflections can help people realise that their daily choices can influence the occurrence of AMR.

Another way to bring AMR awareness closer to the public is through the topic of companion animals. Pets such as dogs, cats, birds or hamsters live very closely with humans, creating opportunities for micro-organisms to spread between species. Educating pet owners about maintaining their animals’ health by providing regular vaccinations, cleaning pet waste properly and avoiding self-medication (especially with antimicrobial products) is essential and should always be part of community education efforts.

At first, these actions may seem focused only on protecting our families from unsafe food or keeping our pets healthy. However, as more people become aware of these practices, they can influence broader changes, such as improving market standards, ensuring that antimicrobial use in agriculture and farming is seriously monitored, and reducing the over-the-counter sale of antibiotics that still commonly happens in pet shops and online marketplaces. These everyday connections show that AMR is not exclusive, it is inclusive. Everyone’s small decisions can contribute to a bigger change.

In Indonesia, creative engagement has proven effective. Last year’s fun run event was held to celebrate World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW). It gathered hundreds of participants and turned awareness into celebration; it witnessed runners, families and communities joining together under one cause. 

By pairing health messages with social and cultural activities, the campaign reached people who might never otherwise think about drug-resistant bacteria. Similar ideas, such as art exhibitions or even cooking competitions, can bring AMR into everyday spaces where people already feel connected.

However, awareness alone is not enough. Public engagement must go hand in hand with structural change: informed consumers choosing responsibly; farmers and veterinarians practising good antimicrobial stewardship; and governments strengthening surveillance, monitoring systems and access to effective medicines. The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals and plants remain among the main drivers of resistance worldwide.

By transforming AMR from a distant technical problem into a shared community story, we build bridges between human, animal and environmental sectors. We shorten the gap between policy and practice and move towards greater equality across the One Health spectrum.

Starting today, let us reimagine AMR as everyone’s issue and everyone’s action. Let us help households, farmers, students, artists and policymakers understand their roles in combating antimicrobial resistance. During the third week of November, as we celebrate World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, let us bring this message into our daily activities through art, photography, social media posts or simple conversations that inspire awareness. The closer AMR comes to people’s hearts and everyday lives, the stronger our collective response will be. Remember, our choices matter. In the fight against AMR, every action counts, and together, small steps can lead to big change.

Annisa Devi Rachmawati is a veterinarian working at Center for Indonesian Veterinary Epidemiological Studies (CIVAS) on antimicrobial stewardship. Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth