Resistant Bacteria Are Advancing Faster Than Antibiotics

its spread According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance Report, difficult-to-treat bacterial diseases represent a growing threat. D Report reveals that between 2018 and 2023, Antibiotic resistance Monitored pathogen-drug combinations increased by more than 40 percent, with an average annual increase of 5–15 percent.

According to data reported by more than 100 countries to the World Health Organization’s Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS), one in six laboratory-confirmed bacteremia was confirmed in 2023. Resistant to antibiotic treatmentAll are associated with various common diseases worldwide.

Superbug

for the first time, This version of the report Includes estimates of the prevalence of resistance to 22 antibiotics used to treat urinary, gastrointestinal, bloodstream, and gonorrheal conditions. The analysis focused on eight common pathogens: Acinetobacter spp, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Neisseria gonorrhoea, Non-typhoidal Salmonella spp, Shigella spp, Staphylococcus aureusAnd Streptococcus pneumoniae.

The results show that resistant gram-negative bacteria pose the greatest threat. Special mention Escherichia coli And Klebsiella pneumoniaewhich is associated with bloodstream infections that can lead to sepsis, organ failure, and death. “More than 40 percent E. coli and more than 55 percent K. Pneumonia Strains worldwide are now resistant to third-generation cephalosporins, the first-choice treatment for such infections,” the report warns.

These microorganisms are joined Salmonella And Acinetobacterwhich is also developing resistance to essential drugs such as carbapenemics and fluoroquinolones. This reduces therapeutic options and forces the use of last-resort antibiotics, which are often expensive and difficult to access, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Medication lag

“Antimicrobial resistance is outpacing advances in modern medicine, threatening the health of families worldwide,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. “We must use antibiotics responsibly and ensure that everyone has access to the right drugs, quality-assured diagnostics and vaccines.”

Optimizing surveillance systems and obtaining accurate data is an urgent task. Although progress has been made, it is still insufficient. Between 2016 and 2023, the number of countries participating in GLASS will quadruple from 25 to 104. However, 48 percent did not report data in 2023, and nearly half of those who reported lacked adequate infrastructure to generate reliable data.

The WHO warns that tackling the problem must be prioritized in regions such as Southeast Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean, where one in three of reported infections is resistant, as well as in Africa, where one in five has the same condition.