As “superbugs” continue to proliferate, the World Health Organization warns that one in six bacterial infections is now resistant to antibiotics.
WHO also called for antibiotic medicine According to a press release issued by the agency on Monday, they are being asked to be used more responsibly.
Health authorities determined that antibiotic resistance is rising in about 40% of infected samples, based on data from more than 100 countries from 2016 to 2023.
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The report contains eight general pieces of information. bacterial pathogen: Acinetobacter, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, non-typhoidal Salmonella, M. rubella, Staphylococcus aureus, Pneumococcus.
According to the report, the most dangerous types of infections are caused by drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, particularly E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, which can lead to sepsis, organ failure and death.
Antibiotics are part of a broader group of medicines called antimicrobials. Contains antiviral drugsantifungal and antiparasitic drugs.
According to the WHO, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites become unresponsive to antibiotics, increasing the risk of serious illness, disability and death.
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“Antimicrobial resistance is outpacing modern medical advances and threatens the health of families around the world,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement accompanying the report. “We must use antibiotics responsibly and ensure that everyone has access to quality, appropriate medicines. Diagnosis and vaccines. ”
According to research from the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) project, more than 1 million deaths each year are directly related to antibiotic resistance.
In some cases, AMR can occur naturally as bacteria mutates over time, but the WHO warns that it can also be caused by people’s “misuse and overuse” of drugs. Antibiotics and other antibacterial agents.
FOX News senior medical analyst Dr. Mark Siegel said the WHO’s latest report is “particularly concerning.”
“These are aggressive bacteria and are becoming increasingly difficult to treat,” he told Fox News Digital. “Carbapenem resistance, like multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, is particularly difficult to treat.”
Carbapenems are considered “antibiotics of last choice” used to treat severe conditions. Multidrug-resistant infectionsaccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Siegel agrees that the main culprit is overuse of antibiotics, both for common upper respiratory infections as well as more serious hospital-borne bacteria that live on hospital equipment.
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“Also, antibiotics are not very profitable for pharmaceutical companies to develop because they are only used when a person is infected (temporary use, not daily use). Therefore, we mainly rely on antibiotics that have been around for decades,” he added.
artificial intelligence According to Siegel, this could present one potential solution.
“AI will allow us to invent new antibiotics faster and cheaper. machine learningas well as improved hygiene and more judicious use in the fight against infectious diseases,” he said.
To address this issue, WHO is calling for increased surveillance of AMR and antibiotic use through the agency’s Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS).
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“Countries must commit to strengthening testing systems and generating reliable surveillance data, especially from underserved areas, to inform treatments and policies,” the report said. “WHO calls on all countries to report high-quality data on AMR and antimicrobial use to GLASS by 2030.”
