Antimicrobial resistance – the emergence of new drug-resistant superbugs – is one of the top 10 global health threats, the World Health Organization says.
More than 700,000 people die each year from infections caused by drug-resistant microorganisms – which not only include antibiotic-resistant bacteria but also viruses, fungi, and parasites that can escape the effects of drugs designed to kill them.
Filmmaker Michael Wech illustrates the problem with a series of stories about real people in his documentary “The Silent Pandemic”.
In this episode of One World, One Health, listen as Michael explains why he’s so deeply interested in the dangers of antimicrobial resistance and what he has found out about efforts to curb it.
Guest
Michael Wech is the director of two documentaries about antimicrobial resistance (AMR), “Resistance Fighters” and “The Silent Pandemic.” He was born in 1969. He worked as a trainee for the filmmaker and book author Egmont R. Koch and then studied Political Science and International Relations in Hamburg and London and as a scholarship-holder at Bilkent University in Ankara. Since 1998 he has made documentaries for ARTE, ARD, and 3sat.
Credits
Hosted and written by Maggie Fox
Special guest: Michael Wech
Produced and edited by Samantha Serrano
Music composed and sound edited by Raquel Krügel
