The World Health Organisation (WHO) warns that antibiotic-resistant infections could lead to over 39 million deaths worldwide by 2050, positioning antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as one of the gravest threats to global health.
Laxmikant Chavan, Technical Officer for AMR and One Health Coordinator for WHO Nigeria, highlighted this alarming prediction during a capacity-building event for journalists in Abuja. Chavan explained that antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria evolve and withstand treatment, often due to factors like over-prescription of antibiotics, poor infection control, patients not completing treatment, inadequate sanitation, and the overuse of antibiotics in livestock.
“More than 4.95 million deaths in 2019 were due to drug-resistant infections, with 1.27 million directly attributed to these infections,” Chavan noted. “Of these, 20% were children under five.” He added that AMR disproportionately impacts low-resource settings and vulnerable populations, with Western Africa reporting the highest AMR-related mortality rates at 27.4 deaths per 100,000 people compared to the global rate of 16.4. In Nigeria alone, AMR led to 64,500 deaths in 2019, with 263,400 additional deaths associated with AMR.
Beyond health, Chavan stressed the economic toll of AMR, with estimates predicting annual GDP reductions of up to 3.8% by 2030 in low- and middle-income countries. AMR could push up to 28 million people into extreme poverty, primarily in developing nations, and lead to $1 trillion in healthcare costs per year while decreasing livestock productivity by 11% in low-income countries.
AMR’s far-reaching impacts connect to several Sustainable Development Goals, including those for health, poverty, hunger, clean water, economic growth, and responsible consumption. Chavan urged journalists to raise awareness and share successful global strategies against AMR, emphasizing the power of media to drive innovation and impact in combating this pressing threat.
