Quantifying the global impact of antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance kills millions of people every year. Noticeably, bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing cause of morbidity and mortality. The researchers have now estimated the number of AMR-related deaths globally.

They estimated AMR-related deaths using two counterfactual scenarios (the comparator was a hypothetical scenario in which drug-susceptible infections replaced drug-resistant infections).

In 2019, 4.95 million people died from bacterial AMR, with 1.27 million deaths directly attributable to AMR, according to global data and statistical modelling. The most common infectious syndrome death was lower respiratory tract infection.

The study shows that fighting antimicrobial resistance is as vital as fighting pandemics like COVID-19 and HIV. We need to focus on making antimicrobial resistance one of our top healthcare priorities.