2023-06-06 23:00:12
- Currently, antimicrobial resistance is directly responsible for at least 1.27 million deaths.
- According to estimates, it is expected that by 2050 the figure will be 10 million fatalities.
- The abuse in the consumption of antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs has caused them to be less and less effective.
Medicines are listed as one of the most important inventions of the modern era. Thanks to its use, millions of deaths are avoided and the quality of life of patients is also improved. At the same time, when they are not used correctly, they are counterproductive and have even given rise to the antimicrobial resistance.
This phenomenon has become one of the biggest problems today. Although what is even more serious is that the outlook for the following decades is not hopeful. For this reason, it is necessary to take immediate action to prevent a catastrophe from occurring.
The era of antibiotics began in 1910 with the first clinical use of a synthetic antimicrobial. The Salvadoran arsenic-based drug manufactured by Paul Honest to treat syphilis. Since then, antimicrobials, including antibiotics, have saved countless lives and contributed significantly to the control of infectious diseases that once dominated human morbidity and mortality.
But first, what is antimicrobial resistance?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) It arises when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites change over time and stop responding to drugs. As a consequence, treatment of infections is more difficult and the risk of spreading disease increases.
In turn, due to the drug resistance antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs become ineffective. The biggest impact is that infections are becoming more difficult or impossible to treat.
Regarding the recent outlook, The Lancet mentions that in 2019 alone, the global burden associated with drug-resistant infections was estimated at 4.95 million deaths. Of that number, antimicrobial resistance was the direct cause of at least 1.27 million.
Outlook for 2050
However, according to the United Nations (UN), the Deaths from infections due to antimicrobial resistance will increase exponentially by 2050.
According to forecasts, infections resistant to antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics could kill up to 10 million people annually. To put it into perspective, the figure is equivalent to what happens today with cancer.
The most affected regions
By region, Asia is expected to register the highest number of deaths per 10,000 inhabitants in 2050 (4.73 million), followed by Africa (4.15 million), Latin America (392,000), Europe (390,000), North America (317,000) and Oceania (22,000).
According to the report, antimicrobial resistance also “exacerbates inequalities within societies,” so women, children, immigrants, refugees, people employed in sectors such as agriculture or healthcare, and those living in poverty they will be especially vulnerable to drug-resistant infections.
Because of all of the above, antimicrobial resistance inspired the creation of the US Presidential Advisory Council to Combat Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, as well as a United Nations global action initiative.
Also read:
Doctors are guilty of antimicrobial resistance according to Cofepris
Antimicrobial resistance: ISSSTE analyzes the 6 most dangerous strains
Antimicrobial Resistance: Main challenges in the post pandemic
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