15/04/2026
Today’s relaunch of the UK’s women’s health strategy is an important opportunity to make sure women are heard when they raise health concerns.
It’s crucial that more is done to understand the ways in which women are affected by infections that are resistant to medications used to treat them.
Women are impacted by resistant infections in specific and often overlooked ways. For example, around 65% of the bloodstream infections that are resistant to antibiotics in England are caused by E. coli, which has taken residence in the urinary tract. Urinary tract infections are significantly more common in women. Women also carry a significant social burden, providing the majority of unpaid care often meaning increased exposure to infection.
Despite this, women’s voices are too often missing from decisions about how we tackle drug-resistant infections. Policies that ignore the specific experiences of women risk being ineffective and unfair. Women must be listened to, supported in their own care journeys, and fully involved in shaping the UK’s response to protecting people from infections that are resistant to medications.
At AMR Action UK, we strive to make sure those affected by resistant infections are heard and supported. This includes:
• Providing a helpline and peer-support.
• Amplifying women’s voices through our patient engagement programmes.
• Taking evidence to policymakers and press for change where systems are failing.
• Striving for a better future through investing and collaborating in patient-led research.
https://amr-action-uk.org/womenshealth/
