According to the agency’s latest monitoring report, antibiotic resistance increased in more than 40 percent of bacteria-drug combinations tracked between 2018 and 2023, with average annual increases ranging from 5 to 15 percent.
“Antimicrobial resistance is outpacing advances in modern medicine, threatening the health of families around the world.” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“As countries strengthen their AMR surveillance systems, we must use antibiotics responsibly and ensure that everyone has access to appropriate medicines, diagnostics and quality-assured vaccines. »
A “silent pandemic”
The report, based on data from more than 100 countries, offers the most comprehensive picture yet of the scale of the problem. He found that In the WHO regions of South-East Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean, one in three infections was resistant to antibiotics, compared to one in five in Africa..
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites evolve to resist drugs designed to kill them. This makes infections more difficult to treat, increases the risk of serious illness or death, and threatens decades of medical progress.
The phenomenon – often described as a “silent pandemic” – is caused by the misuse and overuse of antibiotics in humans, animals and agriculture, as well as poor infection control and limited access to quality medicines.
The WHO estimates that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths in 2019 and contributed to nearly five million deaths worldwide. Without action, experts warn, resistant infections could lead to an estimated loss of $3 trillion in global GDP per year by 2030.
A scientist works in a laboratory of a research center. (deposit)
The rise of “superbugs”
The report highlights that the greatest threat comes from Gram-negative bacteria – pathogens that are notoriously difficult to kill and resistant to multiple drugs.
Of these, Escherichia coli (E.coli) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (K.pneumoniae), two common causes of bloodstream infections, exhibit alarming levels of resistance to third-generation cephalosporins, the first-line treatment for many serious infections.
Globally, more than 40 percent of strains of E. coli and 55 percent of K. pneumoniae strains were resistant to these antibiotics, with levels exceeding 70 percent in some parts of Africa. Other essential antibiotics, including carbapenems and fluoroquinolones, are also losing effectiveness against these and other pathogens, including Salmonella and Acinetobacter.
Growing resistance “forces clinicians to turn to antibiotics of last resort.” warns the report. It istreatments are expensive, complex and often unavailable in low-income countriesreducing options and increasing mortality risk.
Fragile systems, growing risks
The report also finds that resistance is more prevalent in countries with weak health systems and limited surveillance capacity, highlighting a cycle in which poor data and fragile health infrastructure fuel deteriorating outcomes.
Although progress has been made in resistance monitoring, significant data gaps persist. Country participation in the WHO surveillance system has more than quadrupled since its launch in 2016, from 25 to 104 countries, but almost half of WHO member states still have not reported data in 2023.
Even among reporting countries, many do not have the systems needed to generate reliable and representative data.
A call for coordinated action
The 2024 UN General Assembly political declaration on AMR reaffirmed global commitments to combat resistance through a “One Health” approach that integrates human, animal and environmental health.
The WHO said countries must now translate these commitments into concrete actions.
“Our future depends on strengthening systems for preventing, diagnosing and treating infections,“Tedros said.”We also need to innovate with next-generation antibiotics and rapid point-of-care molecular testing.»
