WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised concerns about a sharp rise in drug-resistant bacterial infections. These infections make life-saving treatments less effective and can turn minor injuries and common illnesses into serious or even deadly conditions.
In 2023, about 1 in 6 bacterial infections tested worldwide did not respond to antibiotics, the agency said.
'These findings are deeply concerning,' commented Yvan J-F. Hutin, head of the WHO's antimicrobial resistance department. 'As antibiotic resistance continues to rise, we're running out of treatment options and we're putting lives at risk.'
Over the past five years, nearly 40 percent of antibiotics used to treat common infections, such as those in the urinary tract, gut, blood, or sexually transmitted infections, have lost their effectiveness.
For urinary tract infections, resistance to commonly used antibiotics was above 30 percent worldwide.
The report focused on eight common bacteria, including Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, which can cause severe bloodstream infections leading to sepsis, organ failure, and even death.
The biggest increases in resistance were seen in low- and middle-income countries, where health systems are weaker. These countries also tend to have less reliable systems to track antibiotic resistance, which may explain the high numbers. But it may also mean that these countries truly have more resistant infections.
'We are definitely flying blind in a number of countries and regions that have insufficient surveillance systems for antimicrobial resistance,' Hutin said.
Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2025 AFX News
