Antibiotic-resistant bacteria could kill 39 million people by 2050, researchers warn
2024-09-17 17:58:42
TiranaPost
More than 39 million people worldwide could die from antibiotic-resistant bacteria over the next 25 years, and another 130 million could die from similar causes, according to a new study.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – when bacteria or other pathogens evolve to the point where antibiotics are no longer effective against them – occurs when people overuse antibiotics in medicine and in animal and plant agriculture.
These so-called superbugs make infections harder to treat as doctors scramble for alternatives and have directly killed about a million people each year since 1990, according to the new study, published in The Lancet journal.
The risks of AMR are increasing. According to new estimates from the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) Project.
"This is really a very silent pandemic and it's growing. Our focus needs to be there now," said Ahmed Ogwell, vice president of global health strategy at the UN Foundation.
"No matter where people live, they will need antibiotics if they go through therapy, chemotherapy for cancer, if they are ever hospitalized, because everyone is at risk of a bacterial infection," Ramanan Laxminarayan, who runs the research institute One Health. Trust, told Euronews Health.
