More than 39 million deaths from antibiotic-resistant infections are predicted between now and 2050, according to the latest analysis. This month, World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week seeks to raise awareness of this existential threat to humankind. So, what action must be taken on a national and global level?
More than 39 million people around the world could die from antibiotic-resistant infections over the next 25 years, according to a study published in The Lancet.1 The new study by the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) Project is the first global analysis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) trends over time.
It reveals that more than one million people died each year as a result of AMR between 1990 and 2021. The study also estimates 1.91 million people could potentially die as a direct result of AMR in 2050, an increase of almost 70% per year compared to 2022. Over the same period, the number of deaths in which AMR bacteria play a role will increase by almost 75% from 4.71 million to 8.22 million per year.
Between 1990 and 2021, AMR deaths among children under five years old declined by 50%, while those among people aged 70 years and older increased by more than 80%. These trends are predicted to continue in the coming decades, with AMR deaths among children under five projected to halve by 2050 globally, as deaths among people 70 years and older more than double. The findings highlight a vital need for interventions that incorporate infection prevention, vaccination, minimising inappropriate antibiotic use, and research into new antibiotics to mitigate the number of AMR deaths that are forecasted for 2050.
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