An international research team has recently published a paper in the British medical journal The Lancet, stating that between 2025 and 2050, over 39 million people are expected to die from antibiotic resistance globally. In an interview with Xinhua News Agency on the 17th, the researchers pointed out that antibiotic resistance has become a significant challenge to global public health and that decisive action must be taken to combat this threat.
Antibiotic resistance refers to the changes in pathogenic microorganisms that make them resistant to the antibiotics that would normally kill them. In this latest study, researchers conducted a global investigation of antibiotic resistance from 1990 to 2021, covering 520 million people across 204 countries and regions.
The results revealed that in 2021, an estimated 1.14 million people worldwide died due to antibiotic resistance, and this figure is expected to reach 1.91 million by 2050. Predictions also indicate that by 2050, the number of deaths caused by antibiotic resistance among those aged 70 and older will significantly increase, with South Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean projected to have the highest mortality rates.
Otiya Gray, a researcher from Sweden's Karolinska Institute who participated in the study, stated in an interview with Xinhua News Agency on the 17th that the findings indicate that antibiotic resistance poses the greatest threat to the elderly. Given the rapid aging of the global population, it is anticipated that the mortality rate due to antibiotic resistance will continue to increase over time.
Multiple researchers have called for immediate and decisive action to address the threat of antibiotic resistance, including improving access to medications, controlling the overuse of drugs, and strengthening infection prevention measures.