Almost 10 years ago, in an editorial in this journal advocating the prudent use of antibiotics to limit development of resistance, we described these drugs as a "gift to be used sparingly". In 2001, antibiotic resistance was not very fashionable beyond clinicians and researchers with first-hand knowledge of the topic. However, now that it is the focus of WHO's World Health Day on April 7, resistance has joined the front rankof global health concerns. What has brought antibiotic resistance into the limelight, and can this new-found status be harnessed to "safeguard these medicines for future generations", to use the words of the World Health Day website?
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