Study links drug-resistant infections to millions of child deaths

(MENAFN) A groundbreaking study by two leading experts in child health has revealed that more than three million children across the globe are believed to have died in 2022 as a result of infections resistant to antibiotics.

The findings, which draw on data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, and other global health sources, spotlight the disproportionate impact on children in Africa and South East Asia—regions identified as the most vulnerable to the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, occurs when bacteria and other microbes that cause infections evolve to the point that standard antibiotic treatments become ineffective. The phenomenon has been flagged as one of the most pressing public health threats of our time.

This latest research marks a significant development in understanding the extent to which AMR is affecting younger populations. According to the report, child deaths associated with drug-resistant infections have surged more than tenfold in just three years—a rise that may have been intensified by the global Covid-19 pandemic.

The increased use of antibiotics during the pandemic is a major concern. These drugs, which are designed to treat or prevent bacterial infections ranging from minor skin issues to serious conditions like pneumonia, were used more widely—often inappropriately. While antibiotics can be administered preventively during surgeries or cancer treatments, they are ineffective against viruses such as the common cold, influenza, or Covid-19.

However, misuse and overuse of antibiotics have contributed to the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. Compounding the crisis is the stagnation in the development of new antibiotics, which is both a time-consuming and expensive process.

Drugs reserved for the most serious infections are increasingly being used, a trend that alarmed the study’s lead authors—Dr. Yanhong Jessika Hu of Australia’s Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Professor Herb Harwell of the Clinton Health Access Initiative.

In their analysis, Dr. Hu and Professor Harwell underscore the urgent need for global action, investment in new treatments, and better stewardship of existing antibiotics to prevent what they describe as a worsening crisis that is already costing millions of young lives.

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