A new study has found that more than a million people worldwide die each year from infections linked to microbes resistant to antibiotics. Researchers described the threat as “one of the greatest challenges facing humanity.”
According to the study published in The Lancet on Thursday, January 20, 2022, led by the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, with dozens of authors worldwide, the increased resistance of many common pathogens to treatment, known as antimicrobial resistance (AMR), was a leading cause of death worldwide in 2019.
Chris Murray of the University of Washington, a co-author of the study stated that the new trend is worrisome and authorities must urgently act to save humanity.
“These new data revealed the true scale of antimicrobial resistance worldwide, and are a clear signal that we must act now to combat the threat.”
Chris Murray
According to the study, AMR caused more fatalities than HIV/AIDS or malaria, which caused 860,000 and 640,000 deaths respectively, in the same time period. More people than ever are dying from previously treatable infections since the bacteria causing such infections have become resistant to previously life-saving drugs.
Murray explained that the study was conducted using data from 204 countries and territories. “Researchers found that drug-resistant bacterial infections directly caused 1.27 million deaths worldwide and were associated with an additional 4.95 million deaths.”
“Previous estimates had predicted 10 million annual deaths from AMR by 2050, but we now know for certain that we are already far closer to that figure than we thought.”
Chris Murray
Sub-Saharan Africa Mostly affected
AMR’s impact is now most severe in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, while around one in five deaths is in children aged under five years.
Deaths from AMR were estimated to be highest in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, at 24 deaths per 100,000 and 22 deaths per 100,000 people respectively. Children were among those most likely to die of antibiotic-resistant pneumonia strains. In contrast, in high-income countries, the death toll from AMR was about 13 deaths per 100,000.
The overuse of antibiotics in recent years pushed microorganisms to evolve into superbugs meaning they are becoming less effective against serious infections.
The World Health Organization warned that none of the 43 antibiotics in development or recently approved medicines were enough to combat antimicrobial resistance. Out of the seven deadliest drug-resistant bacteria, vaccines are only available for two.
Sally Davies, UK Special Envoy on Antimicrobial Resistance, shared his perspective on the new study, describing the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a silent pandemic which needs immediate action.
“AMR is already one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Behind these new numbers are families and communities who are tragically bearing the brunt of the silent AMR pandemic. We must use this data as a warning signal to spur on action at every level.”
Sally Davies
The paradoxical reasons cited by the report for growing resistance to treatment include both problems of excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics, but also insufficient access to the drugs even in the same geographical areas. This is a particular problem in low-income settings where access to a wide array of medicines is more restricted.
The report highlighted an urgent need to use antibiotics better, do more to monitor, prevent, and control infections, boost clean water and sanitation resources, and fund new drug development.
