Today's Edition
GENEVA (dpa)
Bacteria are rapidly developing resistance to antibiotics, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Monday, with one in six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections now caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
The organisation has quantified the problem for the first time in relation to 22 antibiotics that are commonly used to treat infections of the urinary tract, the gastrointestinal tract, or the bloodstream. The latest figures are from 2023.
The WHO also looked at various combinations of bacteria and antibiotics. It found that resistance increased in more than 40% of cases between 2018 and 2023, by 5-15% per year depending on the combination of bacteria and antibiotic.
The study included around 23 million data points from more than 100 countries.
"Antimicrobial resistance is widespread and threatening the future of modern medicine," said Yvan Hutin, director of the relevant WHO department.
Many Deaths
There are significant regional differences, with the problem particularly prevalent in countries with weak health systems.
In South-East Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean, one in three reported infections is already resistant to the antibiotics studied.
According to WHO data, 7.7 million people worldwide died from bacterial infections in 2021, with a good 1.1 million of these deaths directly attributable to antibiotic resistance.
The WHO is urgently calling for more research and development of new antibiotics.
Call to Patients
Patients can help to get the problem under control, Hutin says. They can reduce the risk of infection through frequent hand washing, using disinfectant gel, and vaccines. They should also not always expect to receive antibiotics when they have a fever.
"Trust your doctor. If you have a fever and the cause is a viral infection then if you do not receive an antibiotic that is completely okay and that means the doctor has taken good care of you," Hutin said.
