Well-written piece but not substantially different than other post-antibiotic doomsday narratives that seem to come out about once a month now.

While antimicrobial resistance is, as the World Health Organization has said, a global public health threat and deserves attention (it is what I will be studying and working on in my own fellowship), I’m not sure what function pieces like this serve. Ostensibly they alert the public to the persistent threat. But at around 2,700 words and chocked full of alarmist language, I’m not sure this piece reaches the appropriate audience to accomplish that goal. Like climate change, messaging for antimicrobial resistance [1] is a delicate ballet.

The term “antimicrobial resistance” represents the fine line between accurate and effective messaging. The general public has no idea what an “antimicrobial” is. While it is the utmost correct term, at best we can hope the general public misreads it as “antibiotic” because that’s what they (in their minds) get from their doctor for an infection. ↩