Giving Compass' Take:

· Writing for Global Citizen, James Hitchings-Hales discusses antimicrobial resistance, a threat as urgent and serious as climate change, and the UK's new strategy to address this issue. 

· What is the first step to fighting antimicrobial resistance? How can donors contribute towards these efforts? 

· Read more about the threat of antimicrobial resistance. 

What’s more scary: the monster you already know lies under the bed — or the monster you never see coming?

For many of us, climate change is one of the biggest threats faced by humanity. But slinking just out of sight, there are other dangers that could be even more catastrophic without urgent political action.

Antimicrobial resistance ranks right up there with the most dangerous threats on the planet.

Antibiotics like penicillin are used to kill dangerous bacteria and treat infections; but your body gets smart if you overuse them, and can start to build defences.. That means you develop a natural resistance, and the antibiotics grow less effective.

So when doctors prescribe antibiotics where they might not be needed, it can present a much bigger problem. Already, superbugs are killing thousands in the UK alone. But if the present trend continues, a simple graze on your knee could lead to an infection that could kill you.

Read the full article about antimicrobial resistance by James Hitchings-Hales at Global Citizen.