AMR is spreading in nature

Antimicrobial residues, resistant microbes and resistance genes enter nature through human activities such as wastewater from hospitals, runoff from farms, industrial pollution, or improper disposal of unused medicines. Proper management of these residues is essential to prevent them from returning to humans and animals through food, water or direct contact with soil, increasing the risk of transmission.

“My illustration, painted by hand with acrylic paints, emphasizes the innocence and purity of nature, as well as its vulnerability to antimicrobial resistance. It emphasizes how human activity, and improper disposal of pharmaceutical waste, can silently spread resistant microbes into our environment.”