More than 1.2 million people died in 2019 from antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, more deaths than HIV/Aids or malaria, a new study suggests.

The study was co-authored by Professor Christiane Dolecek, the Global Research on AntiMicrobial Resistance (GRAM) scientific lead based in Oxford University’s Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health and the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit.

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The research indicates antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is now a leading cause of death worldwide, and the number could potentially be much higher.

It shows that many hundreds of thousands of deaths occur due to common, previously treatable infections – such as lower respiratory and bloodstream infections – because the bacteria that cause them have become resistant to treatment.

Study co-author Professor Chris Murray, of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in America, said: “Previous estimates had predicted 10 million annual deaths from antimicrobial resistance by 2050, but we now know for certain that we are already far closer to that figure than we thought.

“We need to leverage this data to course-correct action and drive innovation if we want to stay ahead in the race against antimicrobial resistance.”

The paper, which includes an analysis of 204 countries and territories, outlines actions for policymakers that researchers say will help save lives and protect health systems.

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The new GRAM report estimates deaths linked to 23 pathogens and 88 pathogen-drug combinations.

Researchers used modelling to estimate the impact of AMR in all locations – including those with no data – and data from 471 million individual records.

According to the analysis, AMR was directly responsible for an estimated 1.27 million deaths worldwide, and associated with an estimated 4.95 million deaths, in 2019.

While HIV/Aids and malaria were estimated to have caused 860,000 and 640,000 deaths respectively in 2019.

The study, published in The Lancet, found that drug-resistance in lower respiratory infections – such as pneumonia – had the greatest impact on AMR disease burden.

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It caused more than 400,000 deaths and was associated with more than 1.5 million deaths.

Drug resistance in bloodstream infections caused around 370,000 deaths and was associated with nearly 1.5 million deaths.

While drug resistance in intra-abdominal infections – commonly caused by appendicitis – led directly to around 210,000 deaths and was associated with around 800,000.

Ms Dolecek said: “Being able to measure AMR, and compare it with other major health threats, is essential to addressing its serious consequences.”

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