World Health Organization: A sharp global rise in antibiotic-resistant infections in hospitals Global Health Organization

Hospitals around the world have recorded an alarming rise in common antibiotic-resistant infections, with doctors saying the number of deaths caused by drug resistance will increase sharply in the coming years.

One in six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections were resistant to antibiotic treatment in 2023, with more than 40% of antibiotics losing their effectiveness against blood, bowel, urinary tract and sexually transmitted diseases between 2018 and 2023, records show.

The problem was more severe and worsening in low- and middle-income countries and those with weak healthcare systems, according to the WHO report. Global antibiotic resistance monitoring reportwhich collected data on more than 23 million bacterial infections from 104 countries.

“These findings are deeply worrying,” said Dr. Ivan Hawtin, Director of the Antimicrobial Resistance Division at the World Health Organization. “As antibiotic resistance continues to rise, we have exhausted our treatment options and are putting people’s lives at risk, especially in countries where infection prevention and control is weak and access to diagnostics and effective medicines is already limited.”

Resistance estimates in some countries may be skewed by health care systems reporting data from specialty hospitals dealing with only the most serious infections. But based on records collected, the World Health Organization estimates that one in three bacterial infections in Southeast Asia and the eastern Mediterranean will be resistant to antibiotics in 2023, and one in five in Africa.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) arises when pathogens evolve to be resistant to the drugs used to kill them. In 2021, 7.7 million people died globally due to bacterial infections. Drug resistance contributed to 4.71 million deaths, of which 1.14 million were directly attributable.

The report raises serious concerns about Gram-negative bacteria – those protected by an outer shell – e.g Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniaewhich causes some of the most serious bacterial infections that often lead to sepsis, organ failure, and death.

Hutin said 40% of e coli And more than 55% of them your Pneumonia Resistant to third-generation cephalosporins, the first-line treatment for such infections. He said that resistance in the WHO’s African region often exceeds 70%.

Resistance to second-choice antibiotics, especially carbapenems and fluoroquinolones, is also on the rise among major Gram-negative bacteria such as Stagnant, your Pneumonia The report found that salmonella. “These antibiotics are essential for treating severe infections, and their increasing ineffectiveness is narrowing treatment options,” Hooten said.

Dr Manika Balasegaram, from the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership, said the report adds further evidence that drug-resistant infections have reached a “critical tipping point”.

“Most difficult-to-treat Gram-negative infections are now beginning to outpace antibiotic development, either because appropriate antibiotics are not reaching the people who need them, or because they were never developed in the first place,” he said. “As a result, the number of deaths caused by antimicrobial resistance is increasing It is now expected to rise sharplyBy 70% by 2050.

“It is not enough to develop new antibiotics, they must be the right antibiotics, the ones that target the infections that have the greatest public health impact. We are failing to replace the antibiotics we are losing to resistance, and the latest WHO report shows that the consequences of this are now finally beginning to appear.”

“So far, the conversation on antimicrobial resistance has rightly focused on the overuse of antibiotics, but this is not enough. To avoid a tipping point, we must now also focus efforts on accelerating innovation and increasing their appropriate use.”

Professor Sanjib Bhakta, who works on drugs to tackle antimicrobial resistance at University College London, said the WHO report revealed a “worrying rise in resistance”, especially among Gram-negative bacteria.

He said combating antimicrobial resistance requires “tailored global action” from strengthening surveillance and diagnosis to ensuring equitable access to narrow-spectrum antibiotics. It is also important to prevent infection by providing clean water, improving sanitation and hygiene, and vaccination.

“Critically, there is a need for renewed investment to support multidisciplinary research aimed at discovering new therapeutic interventions against drug-resistant bacteria,” he said.