Antimicrobial resistance: Strengthening surveillance for public health action

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is among the top ten global public health threats, demanding immediate attention and action [1]. To effectively tackle AMR, it is crucial to have a comprehensive understanding of the extent of the problem. Specifically, reliable, accurate, and representative information on the incidence of resistant infections is vital for monitoring the national and global scale of AMR, identifying emerging threats, and evaluating the impact of interventions. As part of PLoS Medicine’s Special Issue dedicated to AMR, Balasubramanian and colleagues shed light on the global magnitude of hospital-associated infections due to hospital acquired resistant infections (HARI) [2].