Antibiotic resistance expected to kill 2.4 million people in Europe, Australia and North America by 2050

Antibiotic resistance is one of the most burning concerns in the world and should bring human civilization back into the pre-antibiotic era at this rate. A new report titled "Stemming the Superbug Tide" hypothesized that antibiotic-resistant insects will soon kill more than 90,000 Britons over the next three decades if they are not stopped now.

Main mechanisms by which microorganisms exhibit antimicrobial resistance. Image credit: Designua / Shutterstock

The report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) suggests that antibiotic resistance is expected to kill 2.4 million people in Europe, Australia and North America by 2050 if it does not occur. Is not stopped now. Of these, 1.3 million are likely to occur in Europe and 90,000 are predicted in Britain, says the report. Antibiotic resistance is described as "one of the biggest threats to modern medicine" in this latest report. Currently, every year in the UK, 44,000 deaths are due to sepsis caused by strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. According to the report, about 17% of infections in OECD countries are due to antibiotic resistance.

The report states that simple measures must be taken to reduce and slow the progression of antibiotic resistance. This includes hand washing, improving the hygiene and sanitation of health workers. The report recommends conservative prescription of antibiotics. They suggest that all infections should be tested promptly for the antibiotics to which they are sensitive. This can prevent the appearance of new superbugs and allow in the first place to better cure the infection. Experts suggest that empiric antibiotic therapy should be stopped. The report suggests that antibiotics could be blocked for the first three days, during which time viral infections tend to be attenuated. This would also prevent unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions. The report recommends large-scale public health awareness campaigns to help people adopt policies for the safe use of antibiotics.

The report warns against the more rapid emergence of antibiotic-resistant microbial strains in low- and middle-income countries than in developed countries. Many strains have already developed resistance to first-line antibiotics. The report adds that over the next two decades, strains of the bacteria will develop resistance to second- and third-line reserved antibiotics, making their infections difficult to treat. The warnings are relevant for countries in southern Europe such as Italy, Greece and Portugal, which are the major risk countries among the OECD countries.

This report is one of the results of a campaign conducted in England against patients asking for medications when they are not needed. According to Public Health England (PHE), antibiotics active against serious infections are commonly prescribed for minor infections such as throat, ears, etc., which often improve even without treatment. The main slogan of the campaign was "Antibiotics are not always necessary".

The experts suggested that efforts to fight antibiotic resistance would be profitable in the long run, and this report proves it. For example, Tim Jinks, Wellcome Trust's priority program for drug-resistant infections, explained that antibiotic resistance poses a threat to "global health and development". The OECD report says that an increase in antibiotic resistance can dramatically increase health care costs and that, as of now, this would reduce health care costs to only $ 2 a year. year (£ 1.50). In addition, three deaths out of four could be avoided if action is taken now, says the report.