Antimicrobial resistance killing more than HIV and malaria

ABSTRACT

Speed read Antibiotic-resistant infections led to more than 1.2 million deaths in 2019 – Lancet study True picture could be much worse, with added impact of COVID-19, experts warn Urgent policy measures needed in developing countries, say researchers [NEW DELHI] Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections resulted in more than 1.2 million deaths worldwide in 2019, exceeding the number caused by HIV/AIDS and malaria, says a study spanning 204 countries and territories. In Sub-Saharan Africa, deaths attributable to AMR mainly resulted from Streptococcus pneumoniae (16 per cent) or Klebsiella pneumoniae (20 per cent), while in high-income countries nearly 50 per cent of the deaths attributable to AMR were due to Escherichia coli (23 per cent) or Staphylococcus aureus (26 per cent). According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “improving antibiotic prescribing and use is critical to effectively treat infections, protect patients from harms caused by unnecessary antibiotic use, and combat antibiotic resistance.”