Superbugs that cause antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could cause 40 million deaths in the next 25 years. The warning comes from experts sounding the alarm that superbugs are spreading across the globe.
Antibiotic resistance is an increasingly serious problem PHOTO: Shuterstock
The number of deaths caused by antimicrobial resistance (AMR) will double in the coming years, claims Dame Sally Davies, the former head of the health system in England, according to The Guardian.
It speaks to a growing emergency that could have a devastating impact on men, women and children across the globe, she says.
Davies became a leading advocate for global action to combat the scourge. The specialist explained to the Observer that there is a real danger that routine procedures, including births, could have widespread risks due to the spread of bacteria that have antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
“Roughly one million people die each year from the spread of antimicrobial resistance, and this number will increase over the next 25 years. It’s really scary”Davies said, according to The Guradian.
Estimates show that by 2050, the death rate from AMR will double, with figures indicating that nearly 40 million people will lose their lives to superbugs. The elderly are the most exposed.
“Recent data shows that AMR is declining in the under-fives, which is good news. For the over 70s, death rates have increased by 80% since 1990, it is very worrying“, added the specialist.
As the population ages, more people are living with chronic diseases, making them more vulnerable to AMR.
In the face of these threats, doctors have tried to limit antibiotic prescriptions as much as possible. However, the misuse of antibiotics by humans is not the only way AMR spreads. Microbacteria also occur because animals receive numerous antibiotics.
The ease with which AMR spreads creates a need for new antibiotics. These are to be developed, but the big companies are in no rush to do it because currently the demand is not that high compared to other types of drugs, Davies said.
