Scientists estimate increase in mortality due to drug-resistant bacteria

Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria (AMR) are a major public HEALTH problem and are predicted to cause nearly 40 million deaths by 2050, according to a study published in the Lancet.

“Cumulatively, from 2025 to 2050, our baseline scenario projects 39.1 million (33.0–46.0) deaths attributable to AMR bacteria and 169 million (145–196) deaths attributable to them,” the study said.

Latin America, the Caribbean, and South Asia are named as regions where the risks are highest.

In 2021, according to the authors, more than 1 million deaths were recorded that occurred directly due to such bacteria, in total about 5 million deaths were associated with them. In general, the period from 1990 to 2021 was studied, and the researchers write that during this time, it was possible to achieve a decrease in mortality from AMR bacteria among children under five years old, but among people over 70 it increased.

The authors called for preventive measures, the development of new vaccines, improved quality of health care, better access to antibiotics and encouragement of their rational use to prevent the prediction from coming true.

Previously, the World Health Organization noted that by 2050, mortality due to antibiotic resistance could reach 10 million people annually. The danger of the spread of AMR among bacteria is associated, firstly, with the incorrect and too widespread use of antibiotics , including when people take them for diseases for which they are not required, or do not follow the dosage. Secondly, this is also influenced by the incompetence of some doctors who prescribe antibiotics for any infectious disease without finding out its cause. The third factor is the widespread use of antibiotics in agriculture, often without the supervision of veterinarians. From animals resistantbacteria are transmitted to people.