Should take action against antimicrobial resistance, says report
If not checked, AMR is expected to reduce life expectancy by an average of 1.8 years by 2035.
Political leaders are ignoring the growing danger of antimicrobial resistance, which could lead to an unprecedented health and economic catastrophe, a highlevel task force warned on Thursday.
“The world now has a limited and critical window of opportunity to respond at the scale and with the urgency proportionate to the rapidly increasing threats posed by AMR,” according to a report published on Thursday by the Global Steering Group on Antimicrobial Resistance.
Resistance to antimicrobials (AMR) — antibiotics, antifungals, and antiparasitics — is already wreaking havoc, and is the result of the massive use of these products to treat humans, animals and food. Evidence is mounting that “changes occurring in the natural environment due to the climate crisis are increasing the spread of infectious disease, potentially including drug resistant infections”, the report added.
The report is part of an effort to spur action by global leaders ahead of a meeting in New York on September 26.
Microbes that are not completely eradicated by a given substance can develop resistance to that product, gradually reducing the arsenal of drugs available to treat infections. AMR is already one of the world’s leading causes of death, directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths a year, the report said.
If left unchecked, AMR is expected to reduce life expectancy by an average of 1.8 years by 2035, leading to unprecedented healthcare costs and economic losses. Within a decade, AMR is estimated to cost the world $412 billion a year in additional health costs and $443 billion a year in lost labour productivity, according to an economic impact study commissioned by the Global Steering Group.