Over 1.2 Millions are dying from drug-resistant infections, global report
This is more than the annual death toll from malaria or Aids.Poorer countries are the worst affected, but the report says that antimicrobial resistance threatens everyone's health.
Urgent investment in new drugs and using current ones wisely are recommended to protect against them. The overuse of antibiotics in recent years for trivial infections means they are becoming less effective against serious infections.
People are dying from common, previously treatable infections because the bacteria that cause them have become resistant to treatment.
UK health officials recently warned antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was a "hidden pandemic" that could emerge in the wake of Covid-19 unless antibiotics were prescribed responsibly. Particularly deadly
The estimate of global deaths from AMR, published in the Lancet, is based on an analysis of 204 countries by a team of international researchers led by the University of Washington, US.
They calculate up to five million people died in 2019 from illnesses in which AMR played a role - on top of the 1.2 million deaths it caused directly.
In the same year, Aids (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) has caused 860,000 deaths and malaria 640,000.
Most of the deaths from AMR were caused by lower respiratory infections, such as pneumonia and bloodstream infections, which can lead to sepsis.
MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) was particularly deadly, while E. coli and several other bacteria were also linked to high levels of drug resistance.
Using patient records from hospitals, studies and other data sources, the researchers say young children are at most risk, with about one in five deaths linked to AMR being among the under-fives.
Deaths from AMR were estimated to be: highest in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, at 24 ends in every 100,000lowest in high-income countries, at 13 in every 100,000
From the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, Prof Chris Murray said the new data revealed the accurate scale of antimicrobial resistance worldwide and was a clear signal immediate action was needed "if we want to stay ahead in the race against antimicrobial resistance.
Other experts say better tracking resistance levels in different countries and regions is essential.Dr Ramanan Laxminarayan, from the Centre for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy in Washington DC, said global spending on addressing AMR needed to rise to levels seen for other diseases.
"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," he said.
Much of the world faced the challenge of poor access to affordable, effective antibiotics - and that needed to be taken seriously by political and health leaders everywhere, Dr Laxminarayan added.
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