Deaths from Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) will also be high in other parts of southern and eastern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa

Future deaths from antibiotic-resistant infections will be highest in South Asia – which includes countries such as India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh – where a total of 11.8 million fatalities are forecast between 2025 and 2050, reveals a study published in The Lancet.

The research by the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) Project is the first global analysis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) trends over time. Deaths from Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) will also be high in other parts of southern and eastern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

The study outlines a positive scenario too: Improving overall infection care and access to antibiotics could prevent 92 million deaths between 2025 and 2050. The greatest benefits would be in South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania, with 31.7 million, 25.2 million, and 18.7 million deaths averted, respectively.

“There has been real progress in tackling AMR, particularly among young children, but our findings indicate more must be done to protect people from this growing global health threat,” the study says.

In case the world fails to act, the deaths due to AMR could only skyrocket: By 2050, resistant infections could be involved in some 8 million deaths each year, either as the direct cause of death or as a contributing factor.

“To prevent this from becoming a deadly reality, we urgently need new strategies to decrease the risk of severe infections through vaccines, new drugs, improved healthcare, better access to existing antibiotics, and guidance on how to use them most effectively,” the author of the study Dr Stein Emil Vollset of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and affiliate professor at IHME. said.