A study of 204 countries reveals that infections resistant to treatment have claimed the lives of more than 1.2 Million people.
A Lancet study warns of antimicrobial resistance “poses a major threat to human health around the world,”An overprescription for treatment of curable infections reduces the effectiveness of drugs against serious diseases.
A US-led study that examined the situation in 204 nations found that AMR was responsible for 1.2 million deaths in 2019. Drug-resistant bacteria also played an important role in as many as five million of those fatalities.
It is far more than what was recorded for the deaths of AIDS victims (860,000) or malaria patients (640,000) during the same year. AMR was mainly due to infections of the respiratory system (like pneumonia) and bloodstream which lead to sepsis.
After reviewing patient records from hospitals and studies as well as other data sources, the assessment found that young children were most at-risk. One in five AMR fatalities was linked to those under five years old.
“Spending needs to be directed to preventing infections in the first place, making sure existing antibiotics are used appropriately and judiciously, and to bringing new antibiotics to market,”Responding to the study, Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan, Centre for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy, stated his opinion.
After warnings from UK health officials that AMR could lead to a rash of illnesses, the Lancet study is a response. “hidden pandemic,”As harmful bacteria can develop, it could evade treatment and put the public at-risk.
A report by the UK Health Security Agency indicated that AMR was a serious illness in which one-fifth of those infected with an infection had AMR in 2020. It could have led to complications, or worse, even hospitalization due to poor treatment.
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