Drug-resistant bacterial infections are soaring to record numbers that could jeopardize the effectiveness of life-saving treatments, according to a new report from the World Health Organization.
The WHO issued a warning on Monday that 1 in 6 laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections worldwide showed resistance to antibiotic treatments, meaning that common medications to treat urinary or gastrointestinal tract infections could become ineffective.
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when pathogens evolve to evade the drugs used to kill them. From 2019 to 2023, AMR increased over 40%, with an annual average rise of between 5% and 15%, according to the new report.
Dr. Yvan Hutin, the director of the WHO’s AMR projects, told reporters Monday that the findings are “deeply concerning.”
“As antibiotic resistance continues to rise, we are running out of treatment options and we are putting lives at risk, especially in countries where infection prevention and control is weak and access to diagnostics and effective medicine is already limited,” Hutin said.
The WHO report found that, of the most common types of bacterial infections, E. coli and K. pneumoniae are the leading drug-resistant bugs found in bloodstream infections.
E. coli and K. pneumoniae are among the most severe bacterial infections, often leading to sepsis, organ failure, and death. These bacteria are now 40% and 55% resistant, respectively, to third-generation cephalosporins, the first-choice treatment for these infections.
Researchers found significant regional variations in antimicrobial-resistant infections, with roughly 30% of pathogens in the Southeast Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean regions being resistant to treatment.
About 15% of pathogens in the Americas were found to be resistant to treatment, but this number could be an underestimate, as only seven of the 35 WHO member states in the region participated in the study.
Last year, an analysis from the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance Project found that more than 39 million people could die from antibiotic-resistant infections by 2050. Seniors over 70 and children under 5 will be the most at risk.
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WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press release about the new report that the future of medicine depends on “strengthening systems to prevent, diagnose and treat infections and on innovating with next-generation antibiotics.”
“Antimicrobial resistance is outpacing advances in modern medicine, threatening the health of families worldwide,” Tedros said. “As countries strengthen their AMR surveillance systems, we must use antibiotics responsibly, and make sure everyone has access to the right medicines, quality-assured diagnostics, and vaccines.
