Contributors: Xiaomeng Zhou Photos by: Junxiu Xiao Reviewed by: Zhoumin Wu, Ailan Liu, Lei Wu
On March 12, 2026, the School of Public Health at Nanchang University hosted the 21st Weidao Forum in the Science and Innovation Building on the Qianhu Campus. The forum featured Prof. Yuan’an Lu, tenured professor and Chair of Environmental Health at the University of Hawaii, who delivered a lecture titled “Antimicrobial Resistance: A Growing Threat to Modern Medicine and Global Health”. The session was chaired by Shaoyang Li, and attended by more than 50 faculty members and students.
Prof. Lu, a frequent guest of the School, presented a lecture on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), drawing on data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He examined the current global AMR crisis, its underlying causes, and possible response strategies. He noted that AMR is responsible for approximately 1.27 million deaths directly and 4.95 million deaths indirectly each year, and has been identified as one of the world’s major public health threats.
Prof. Lu also discussed the WHO Bacterial Priority Pathogens List and highlighted several key drivers of AMR, including the overuse of antibiotics, inappropriate use in agriculture and animal production, environmental contamination, and the prolonged slowdown in the development of new antibiotics. Addressing the situation in China, he pointed to rising trends in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and drug-resistant gonorrhea, noting that China accounts for nearly one-quarter of global new MDR-TB cases.
He emphasized that addressing AMR requires a comprehensive approach, including improving public awareness, strengthening infection prevention and control, optimizing antimicrobial use, accelerating the development of new drugs and rapid diagnostics, and advancing the One Health approach to promote coordinated action across human, animal, and environmental health sectors.
During the discussion session, students raised questions on alternative therapies, rapid detection technologies, personal protection measures, and strategies for addressing AMR in developing countries. Prof. Lu responded by drawing on his research experience and international perspectives, encouraging students to engage with global health challenges and pursue meaningful public health research.
The forum provided participants with deeper insight into antimicrobial resistance and its global implications, while further broadening academic perspectives on major challenges in global health.
