Nigeria, Nov. 22 -- Some common infections are increasingly failing to respond to the medicines that once treated them effectively, a trend experts link to the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes AMR as "one of the leading global health challenges of the 21st century," which occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines.

As a result, infections become harder and sometimes impossible to treat, increasing the risk of severe illness, disability and death.

It said bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths and associated with 4.95 million deaths globally in 2019.

A 2024 report by Africa CDC warns that AMR has ...