Drug resistant superbugs may see 40million individuals killed globally by 2050
Deaths due to drug-resistant infections could increase by almost 70% by 2050 globally, a new study has forecasted, sparking further concern over the growing superbug crisis.
The study, which was published in journal The Lancet, ominously predicted that from 2025 to 2050, cumulatively, the world could see more than 39million deaths that are directly caused by antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Antimicrobial resistance happens when bacteria, fungi and other pathogens develop the ability to doge the medications designed to kill them. Mutation and antibiotic overuse and misuse are two of the main ways pathogens develop resistance.
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The World Health Organization called AMR “one of the top global public health and development threats”.
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The study’s lead author Dr Chris Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington said “we can expect” AMR “to get worse”, CNN reports.
He added: “We need appropriate attention on new antibiotics and antibiotic stewardship so that we can address what is really quite a large problem.”
The study was conducted by researchers from multiple institutions including the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance Project and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
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They estimated deaths and illnesses attributable to, and associated with, drug resistance for 22 pathogens, 84 pathogen-drug combinations and 11 infections in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2021.
As part of their findings, researchers discovered AMR-related deaths were 80% higher among adults aged 70 and older, while superbug related deaths fell by more than 50% among children younger than five.
Dr Murray said: “We had these two opposite trends going on: a decline in AMR deaths under age 15, mostly due to vaccination, water and sanitation programs, some treatment programs, and the success of those.
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“And at the same time, there’s this steady increase in the number of deaths over age 50,” which he put down to older adults being more susceptible to life-threatening infections.
The pathogen-drug combination that caused the most deaths across all age-groups was methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. The attributed deaths almost doubled from 57,200 in 1990 to 130,000 in 2021.
The researchers then used statistical modelling to estimate AMR-related deaths and illnesses by 2050, factoring in climate change, the development of strong antibiotics and improved health care across the globe.
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