A new global analysis has sounded the alarm on the rising threat of drug-resistant superbugs, projecting nearly 40 million deaths over the next 25 years if immediate action is not taken. Superbugs, or pathogens that have become resistant to antibiotics, have long been recognized as a growing danger to global health, making infections far more difficult to treat.
The study, published in The Lancet, is the first to track the global impact of superbugs over time and project future consequences. Between 1990 and 2021, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) claimed over a million lives annually across the world. Despite significant advancements in infection control among children under five, the death toll among the elderly has surged, with deaths in people over 70 increasing by 80% in the same period.
One notable example is Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of staph infection that has grown resistant to many antibiotics. The study found that deaths from MRSA infections doubled in the past three decades, reaching 130,000 in 2021.
Researchers used advanced modelling to estimate future impacts, warning that if current trends continue, annual deaths directly caused by AMR could rise by 67% to nearly two million by 2050. Additionally, AMR could contribute to 8.2 million more deaths each year, resulting in a staggering 169 million total deaths related to superbugs by mid-century.
However, the study also highlights a more optimistic scenario: if global healthcare systems improve treatment for severe infections and increase access to antimicrobial drugs, it could save 92 million lives by 2050. This would require a concerted global effort to address the overuse and misuse of antibiotics, a primary driver of AMR.
"This threat is growing," said study co-author Mohsen Naghavi from the Institute of Health Metrics in the United States. "These findings highlight that AMR has been a significant global health threat for decades and that urgent measures are needed to prevent millions of avoidable deaths."
The analysis was released ahead of a high-level United Nations meeting on AMR scheduled for September 26, where world leaders will address strategies to combat this looming global health crisis. The study examined 22 pathogens and their resistance to 84 antimicrobial drugs, drawing on data from over 520 million records across 204 countries and territories,
Reference:
1. Painuli, S., Semwal, P., Sharma, R., & Akash, S. (2023). Superbugs or multidrug resistant microbes: A new threat to the society. Health science reports, 6(8), e1480. https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.1480
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