Global Consensus Launched to Strengthen Antimicrobial Resistance Education for Children and Adolescents

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Global Consensus Launched to Strengthen Antimicrobial Resistance Education for Children and Adolescents

Fleming Initiative/UK Government/Imperial College, London, Imperial Healthcare NHS Trust Credit Bridgetown, Barbados, 23 April 2026 (PAHO/WHO) - The Fleming Initiative, supported by the UK Government and developed in partnership with Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, has released a new Global Consensus on Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Through Education. The document was shaped with contributions from experts across regions, including the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), and offers a unified vision for how children and adolescents can be empowered as agents of change in the fight against AMR.

AMR remains one of the most urgent global health challenges, projected to cause more than eight million deaths annually by 2050 and to significantly affect food systems, livelihoods and the environment. For the Caribbean, where communities live at the intersection of human health, agriculture, fisheries, and fragile ecosystems, the One Health implications are especially visible. The region’s experience with climate sensitive diseases, antimicrobial use in livestock and aquaculture, and the growing burden of hard-to-treat infections underscores the need for early, accessible AMR education.

The new consensus provides a clear, evidence-informed framework outlining what young people aged 5 to 18 need to understand about AMR, infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship, and how these concepts can be meaningfully integrated into school and community learning. It is designed as a global reference that can be adapted to national and regional contexts, including ongoing AMR education and stewardship efforts across the Caribbean and the wider Americas.

The framework emerged from a year‑long global conversation convened by the Fleming Initiative. Across three open meetings held in early 2025, more than seventy experts in AMR, education, behaviour change and community engagement came together to share experiences, identify barriers and discuss what effective AMR education should look like. These sessions were intentionally inclusive, repeated across time zones and designed to ensure participation from the full One Health spectrum, including human health, animal health, agriculture and environmental sectors. The resulting consensus reflects the insights, lived experiences and shared priorities of this diverse global community, and was refined through multiple rounds of collaborative review to ensure it is practical, adaptable and grounded in evidence.

The document emphasises that AMR education must begin with infection prevention and control, helping children understand how infections spread and how simple behaviours can protect health. It calls for AMR to be woven into existing curricula rather than added as a standalone burden, and encourages educators to connect AMR to subjects beyond science, including art, geography, history and personal health. The consensus also highlights the importance of positive, action-oriented messaging that helps young people understand what they can do in their homes, schools and communities, and why their actions matter. Throughout the document, a One Health perspective is central, recognising that AMR affects humans, animals, plants and the environment, and that solutions must reflect this interconnected reality.

PAHO/WHO welcomes this global resource as a timely contribution to regional and international efforts to strengthen AMR awareness, stewardship and education. The consensus aligns with commitments made at the 2024 UN High-level Meeting on AMR, which called for expanded education, communication and behaviour change initiatives across all sectors.

The Global Consensus on Tackling AMR Through Education, along with a global review of AMR education initiatives, is available here.

Country News Antimicrobial Resistance Caribbean Subregional Program Coordination Communicable Disease Prevention, Control, and Elimination Working Together to Fight Antimicrobial Resistance Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance in the Caribbean

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