One Health, One Fight: Youth’s Call to Action Against Antimicrobial Resistance

This article was exclusively written for European Sting by Mr. Pratik Sarangi, a medical graduate from Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, New Delhi, India. He is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

Antimicrobial resistance is no longer a distant warning – it is here, spreading silently across hospitals, farms, households, and even rivers. The World Health Organisation identifies antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as one of the top global public health threats of the 21st century. Especially in India, the urgency is sharper: we are the world’s largest consumer of antibiotics, and studies indicate a concerning rise in resistant pathogens like Klebsiella pneumoniae and E. coli, particularly in tertiary care hospitals (Laxminarayan et al., Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2020).

Yet the problem doesn’t reside only in humans. In livestock farming, antibiotics are widely used not just for disease treatment but for growth promotion – an invisible practice contributing to resistance. Environmental leakage of untreated pharmaceutical waste, especially from manufacturing zones, farms and household wastes have shown to contain concentrations of antibiotics high enough to select for superbugs.

This interconnected crisis reflects what the One Health model emphasizes: human health, animal health, and environmental health are inseparable.

But in India and even around the world, beyond systemic gaps lies a cultural pattern: we treat antibiotics like “candies”. Self-medication, leftover prescriptions shared among family members, and over-the-counter sales without a prescription are normalized. A study in the Indian Journal of Pharmacology reported that more than 50% of antibiotics in urban areas are purchased without proper medical advice. Add misinformation, panic-driven consumption during COVID-19, and distrust in healthcare systems – and we create conditions where resistance thrives faster than innovation.

Fighting AMR feels like fighting a war without swords or shields – because the enemy is microscopic, evolving, and often invisible. But that does not mean we are powerless.

Youth, especially in a country where over 65% of the population is under 35 – hold a uniquely critical role. Medical students, veterinarians, environmental scientists, engineers, data analysts, journalists, policy students, and grassroots activists must stand not in silos, but shoulder to shoulder.

Surveillance systems need data scientists. Awareness campaigns need communicators. Research ecosystems need funding and young minds trained in critical appraisal and innovation. Behavior change campaigns require storytellers who can translate complex science into everyday language. Technological solutions from wastewater surveillance to rapid diagnostics – will need engineers and public health leaders working together.

The fight against AMR is not only clinical – it is social, political, environmental, and cultural.

To move forward, Nations must strengthen prescription regulations, invest in antibiotic stewardship programs, scale vaccination and sanitation to reduce the need for antibiotics, monitor animal antibiotic use, enforce environmental discharge limits and take joint partnerships to fight this silent battle. Most importantly, we must transform public attitudes.

If we choose complacency, we risk entering a post-antibiotic era – where surgeries become life-threatening, and treatable infections turn fatal. But if we choose collaboration – rooted in science, empathy, and responsibility, we can change the trajectory.

One Health is more than a framework, it is a shared responsibility.

One fight. One future. And it begins with us!!!

About the author

Pratik Sarangi is a medical graduate from Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, New Delhi, India, and is currently serving on the Supervisory Council at MSAI-India. Having led many youth initiatives on public health concerns and being an avid supporter of youth-led innovations, he has advocated for equitable opportunities for young people to transform the healthcare sector. He believes that youth hold extreme responsibilities to fight global challenges like AMR through their energy, ideas and innovation. In addition, he is immensely passionate about writing and research. He has been an active member of the IFMSA since 2019.