Another Global Health Crisis? Superbug Infections Killed 1.2 Million People Worldwide In 2019
Superbug infections killed 1.2 million people in 2019, according to a study published this week, which researchers described as the most comprehensive assessment of the impact of antimicrobial resistance to date.
The death count means infections by bacteria resistant to antibiotics are directly responsible for more deaths than HIV/AIDS or malaria.
The report, published in the Lancet, also found antimicrobial resistance played a role in up to 3.68 million other deaths.
"These new data reveal the true scale of antimicrobial resistance worldwide, and are a clear signal that we must act now to combat the threat," said study co-author Chris Murray of the University of Washington, according to a report by news agency AFP.
While previous estimates said superbugs could kill 10 million people per year by 2050, this study shows that milestones could be reached much sooner, he added.
"We need to leverage this data to course-correct action and drive innovation if we want to stay ahead in the race against antimicrobial resistance."
The estimates for 204 countries and territories were based on data from a wide range of sources including public health systems, pharmaceutical surveillance networks, previous studies, and more.
Methodological assumptions had to be made for parts of the world where data was lacking, especially low- and middle-income countries, the authors acknowledged.
Antimicrobial resistance occurs as bacteria evolve to be immune to antibiotics.
The World Health Organisation has declared it a global health crisis, setting up a task force to study alternative treatments.
One area of research involves bacteria-eating viruses called bacteriophages or simply phages.
A case study published in Nature Communications on Tuesday described how doctors in Belgium used the therapy to heal a patient whose leg had been infected for nearly two years.
Combined with antibiotics, the phage therapy healed the infection in three months, the study said.
While phages have been used to treat infections in Russia and eastern Europe for over a century, they are largely overlooked in the EU and US.
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