Rise of the Superbugs: Trailer

The world is now facing another looming health crisis - antimicrobial resistance (AMR) or "superbugs". The World Health Organisation has warned that we are headed towards a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections could become life-threatening.

But the story of superbugs isn't as straightforward or as scary as it first sounds. In this new podcast, launched during World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2021, you’ll hear about the most common sources of resistant infections in Australia and the world. You'll hear stories from the people with firsthand experience of those infections, the doctors who treat them and the scientists researching them. 

We’ll be taking you inside hospitals, pharmacies, vet clinics, planes, gardens, farms and waterways. We’ll take you into the past and speculate on the future because, as you’ll come to find out, antimicrobial resistance is present in almost every aspect of our lives. And the task of improving awareness and understanding of superbugs is a tough one.

The podcast series is produced by a team of researchers and podcast producers, supported by funding and resources from the Australian Research Council and Swinburne University of Technology. The podcast series is one of the research outcomes from the project “Promoting Australian general public awareness and action on antimicrobial resistance” (ARCDP170100937), led by Associate Professor Mark Davis, conducted by social science and media researchers from Monash University, Swinburne University of Technology, University of Gothenburg and University of Strathclyde. 

Host and producer: Dr Britta Jorgensen. 

Producers: Sarah Mashman and Silvi Vann-Wall. 

Executive Producer: Professor Mia Lindgren.