Antimicrobial Resistance Could Cause More Than 39M Cumulative Deaths From 2025 To 2050, Study Projects

CNN (9/16, Howard) reports, “Cumulatively, from 2025 to 2050, the world could see more than 39 million deaths that are directly attributable to antimicrobial resistance or AMR,” an annual increase of nearly 70%, according to a study published The Lancet. Study researchers reviewed “about 520 million individual records” and “found that from 1990 to 2021, deaths from AMR fell more than 50% among children younger than 5 but increased more than 80% among adults 70 and older – trends that are forecast to continue.” The study projects “that deaths from antimicrobial resistance will increase by 2050 if measures are not in place to improve access to quality care, powerful antibiotics and other resources to reduce and treat infections.” Reuters (9/16, Lapid) says researchers also projected worsening AMR “will strain health systems and national economies and contribute to annual gross domestic product losses of $1 trillion to 3.4 trillion by 2030.” HealthDay (9/17, Thompson) reports researchers identified the need for “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 Hill (9/17, Timotija) provides additional coverage.