Antibiotic-resistant infections could claim the lives of more than 39 million people worldwide over the next 25 years, with another 169 million expected to die from related causes, a study has found. study published in the medical journal The Lancet this week.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses and other types of germs become stronger than the drugs used to treat them, thus creating so-called “superbugs”. As a result, infections become difficult or impossible to treat and spread to other people.
The study forecasts a nearly 70% increase in deaths from antimicrobial resistance by 2050, compared with the level in 2022, with older people driving the increase in deaths. By mid-century, the annual death toll from antimicrobial resistance is expected to reach 1.91 million people, compared with 1.14 million in 2021. Antimicrobial resistance is expected to be a contributing cause of 8.2 million deaths annually, up from 4.71 million, the study noted.
The findings from the Global Research Project on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) present a comprehensive analysis of mortality data and hospital records from 204 countries and territories, to produce mortality estimates over a 30-year period.
The study revealed a “remarkable” Between 1990 and 2022, AMR deaths among children under 5 years of age fell from 488,000 to 193,000, and are projected to halve by mid-century. Meanwhile, death numbers in all other age groups are increasing, with AMR loss of life among adults aged 70 years and older expected to increase by 146% by 2050, from 512,353 to 1.3 million.
The report noted that AMR deaths in 2021 were lower than in 2019, but suggested the temporary reduction was due to Covid-related restrictions.
Researchers noted that South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, as well as sub-Saharan Africa, will have the highest AMR mortality rates by 2050.
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