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Antibiotic resistant infections: According to a report in The Lancet, about 40 million people will die due to antibiotic-resistant infections by the year 2050. The study also estimates that the number of deaths due to these antibiotic-resistant infections will increase in the next decade. This is a big problem and it will remain for a long time.
Researchers associated with this study have warned that antibiotic resistance will make it very difficult to cure even simple infections. The study also showed that older adults are disproportionately affected by AMR (antimicrobial resistance) mortality and are at greater risk of infection.
AMR, which stands for anti-microbial resistance, occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and medicines stop working on them.
The study analysed 520 million data points from hospital discharge records, insurance claims and death certificates from 240 countries. Between 1990 and 2021, antimicrobial resistance caused more than one million deaths annually. The death toll from AMR may continue to rise. 39 million deaths are predicted over the next 25 years, which is roughly three deaths every minute.
The study also reports that deaths from antimicrobial resistance (AMR) have declined by more than 50% among children between 1990 and 2021, while deaths among people over the age of 70 have increased by more than 80%. By 2050, the number of deaths among children will decrease. However, the number of deaths among the elderly will nearly double in the meantime. This shift could lead to AMR deaths among older people being higher than in other age groups, as the global population is aging and becoming more vulnerable to infection.
Of the 39 million AMR deaths, 11.8 million are estimated to occur in South Asia, with a large number expected to occur in sub-Saharan Africa. Accuta has warned against the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. They say this is the biggest contributor to increasing bacterial resistance. The emphasis was on not using antibiotics unnecessarily. For common infections, do not take antibiotics and try home remedies like gargling with water or taking shakes.