12 lakh people died of antimicrobial resistance in 2019, shows Lancet research

by Medically Speaking Team January 21, 2022

According to new research, antibiotic-resistant germs caused more than 1.2 million fatalities worldwide in a single year, implying that these “superbugs” have joined the ranks of the world’s greatest infectious disease killers.

Antimicrobial resistance, which is responsible for a substantial number of deaths caused by treatable diseases, has arisen as a new issue for health researchers. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the cause of several deaths caused by treatable diseases such as lower respiratory and bloodstream infections, because the bacteria that causes the sickness has developed resistance to treatment. According to the Indian Express, a study published in the Lancet journal that included more than 204 nations indicated that more than 12 lakh people died in 2019 as a result of AMR, which is several times more than mortality caused by HIV/AIDS or malaria.

The Lancet research analysed the deaths linked to 23 pathogens and 88 pathogen-drug combinations. The study found that more than 12 lakh deaths would not have taken place directly if the infection had not become resistant to drugs. In addition to the 12 lakh deaths directly linked to the problem of AMR, the study found that another 49 lakh people died due to causes that are linked to AMR but the patients did not die directly of AMR but other problems.

Dr Kamini Walia, programme officer, AMR, at Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) told the Indian Express that lots of antibiotics are being used in an irrational manner during the current Coronavirus pandemic. Dr Walia further said that study had shown that COvid-19 patients acquired drug resistant infections in hospitals and A study reported by ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) from 10 hospitals showed that when Covid patients acquired drug-resistant infections in hospitals the mortality increased by 50-60 percent.

Dr Ramanan Laxminarayan, Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (US) told the Indian Express that azithromycin was routinely prescribed for all Coronavirus patients even though there is no evidence that it was helpful. Dr Laxminarayan further said that the absolute disregard for the life saving antibiotics may come back to haunt in future when these drugs are needed to fight against bacterial infections.

Why Lancet study is significant
It is one of the first studies that we have the number of patients who have died due to AMR, Dr Walia said. He further said that there have been attempts to record such deaths even in India but that is challenging as the deaths are not reported to have been caused by AMR. Dr Walia further said that in the absence of such data, it is very difficult for the health professionals to nudge the government and policy makers to come up with a substantial solution to the problem.