As the UK swelters in unseasonably high temperatures, Andrew Gregory’s article underscores the growing urgency of a critical global health threat (Climate crisis is accelerating antibiotic resistance across world, study says, 26 May).
While drug misuse remains a key driver, the climate crisis means bacteria are mutating and spreading faster than ever before. Yet missing from this urgent global discussion is the foundational defence mechanism against the spread of infection: clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.
As the world warms and we continue to experience a climate whiplash between extreme flooding and drought scenarios, fragile water and sanitation infrastructure are vulnerable to collapse, releasing waste and pathogens directly into community water sources.
For millions of people living in the hardest-hit regions of sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia, preventive hygiene, such as hand-washing with soap, is unavailable. Without reliable clean water to prevent infections from spreading, reliance on antibiotics will continue to rise and the grip on resistance will tighten.
We cannot address the growing spread of antimicrobial resistance by treating it solely as a pharmaceutical issue. If global mitigation policies and “One Health” initiatives are to succeed, they must integrate increased funding for resilient, climate-smart water, sanitation and hygiene services.
Investing in clean water and hygiene is not just a development goal, but a critical countermeasure against the slow-moving pandemic of antimicrobial resistance. More than that, it’s a no-regrets public health intervention – the foundation of good health and wellbeing. We must urgently invest in these basics of prevention. Without them, we will not win the global fight against the climate-driven superbug crisis.
Helen Hamilton
Head of policy on health and hygiene, WaterAid
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