The world needs clean water to help fight antimicrobial resistance | Letter

Many people in developing countries cannot access preventive hygiene, key to attacking climate-driven superbugs, writes Helen Hamilton

As the UK swelters in unseasonably high temperatures, Andrew Gregory’s article underscores the growing urgency of a critical global health threat (Climate crisis is accelerating antibiotic resistance across world, study says, 26 May).

While drug misuse remains a key driver, the climate crisis means bacteria are mutating and spreading faster than ever before. Yet missing from this urgent global discussion is the foundational defence mechanism against the spread of infection: clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.