Drug-resistant infection "kills 1.27 million lives in 1 year"! Globally, 3,500 people die every day

▲ Antibiotic resistance caused more deaths in 2019 than AIDS or malaria. (Schematic/taken from the free gallery Pixabay)

Reporter Chen Wanzhen / Comprehensive foreign telegraph director

The latest research shows that antibiotic resistance (AMR) directly caused more than 1.2 million deaths worldwide in 2019, surpassing HIV/AIDS or malaria, killing about 3,500 people every day and becoming the leading cause of death globally. Health experts warn that AMR has posed a significant threat to humanity and call for global action to confront it.

According to the Guardian, the Global Study on Antibiotic Resistance (GRAM), published in The Lancet on the 19th, uses more than 470 million medical records from 204 countries/ regions, estimating that 1.27 million people died directly from antibiotic resistance in 2019, and about 4.95 million deaths were related to it. In the same year, HIV and malaria killed 860,000 and 640,000 people respectively.

The study also pointed out that although antibiotic resistance poses a threat to all age groups, the risk to young children is particularly high, with as many as 1 in 5 deaths in children under 5 years of age.

Sub-districts see the largest number of direct deaths from AMR infection in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, with 24 and 22 per 100,000 people, respectively. As for high-income countries, 13 out of every 100,000 people die directly from AMR, and 56 deaths per 100,000 people are related to this cause.

Study co-author Chris Murray, a professor at the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Assessment (IHME), explains, "The new data shows the true scale of AMRs around the world and is a clear signal that we must act immediately to counter the threat." If you want to stay ahead of the curve against AMR, you need to use this data to correct your actions and drive innovation."

The report highlights the need to scale up action against AMR and that policymakers should take immediate action that can save lives and protect health systems, including improving existing antibiotic use practices, taking stronger action to monitor and control infections, and providing more funding for the development of new antibiotics and therapies.

Sally Davies, Britain's special envoy for AMR, explained that AMR is "one of the greatest challenges facing humanity" and that behind these data are the families and communities that unfortunately bore the brunt of the AMR's silent pandemic and must be seen as a warning sign to facilitate action.

Other experts say the coronavirus is a testament to the importance of a global commitment to infection and control measures, such as handwashing, virus surveillance and rapid investment in therapy. Tim Jinks, head of the Wellcome Trust's Drug-Resistant Infections Programme, said global political leaders, healthcare, the private sector and the public sector should work together to address global health threats, "Just like COVID-19, we know what to do to address AMR, but if we want to succeed, we need to feel urgency now and global solidarity."