How Pollution Is Driving Antibiotic Resistance in the Global South

Across Africa, Asia and Latin America, drug-resistant infections are growing far beyond hospitals. This video explores the hidden environmental drivers of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) — from polluted rivers and untreated wastewater to mining sites, farms and crowded settlements.

When metals, chemicals, plastics and antibiotic residues enter water, soil and air, they create ideal conditions for resistant microbes to multiply and spread. Yet most national AMR plans still focus only on hospitals or livestock, ignoring the huge environmental burden, especially in the Global South where wastewater treatment remains weak or missing.

The video highlights the urgent need for:

• Stronger wastewater treatment and affordable nature-based solutions
• Polluter-pay policies to hold industries and farms accountable
• Better environmental monitoring and data systems
• A united One Health approach connecting human, animal and environmental health

Protecting the environment is essential to protecting our medicines. Act now to safeguard the present and secure the future.