More than three million children died worldwide in 2022 from infections that were resistant to antibiotics, according to a study by two leading experts on child health.
Children in Africa and Northeast Asia are most at risk.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) develops when microbes that cause infections change in such a way that antibiotics no longer work.
AMR has long been identified as one of the greatest threats to public health in the world.
A new study shows the consequences of AMR on children.
Using data from multiple sources, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, the authors calculated that the deaths of more than three million children are linked to drug-resistant infections.
Experts say a new study shows that in just three years there has been a more than tenfold increase in infections caused by drug-resistant microbes among children.
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Increased use of antibiotics
Antibiotics are used to treat and prevent a wide range of bacterial infections - from skin infections to pneumonia.
Sometimes they are given to prevent, rather than treat, an infection, such as in people having surgery or receiving chemotherapy to treat cancer.
Antibiotics do not affect viral infections, such as colds, flu, or COVID.
However, some bacteria have developed resistance to some drugs due to their excessive and inappropriate use.
The production of new antibiotics, a long and expensive process, has slowed down.
Yanhong Jessica Hu, a doctor from Australia's Murdoch Research Institute, and Herb Harwell, a professor from the World Health Organization Clinton Health Access Initiative, have pointed to a significant increase in the use of antibiotics that should normally only be used for the most serious infections.
Between 2019 and 2021, the use of antibiotics with higher resistance increased by 160 percent in Northeast Asia and 126 percent in Africa.
During the same period, the use of antibiotics used as a last resort for severe, multi-drug resistant infections increased by 45 percent in Northeast Asia and 125 percent in Africa.
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Fewer and fewer options
The authors warn that if bacteria develop resistance to these antibiotics, there will be few, if any, alternatives for treating multidrug-resistant infections.
“AMR is a global problem.
"It affects everyone. We did this work to focus on the disproportionate impact of AMR on children."
"We estimate that three million child deaths worldwide are linked to antimicrobial resistance," Harwell said.
Is there a solution for AMR?
The WHO describes AMR as one of the the most serious threats to global health.
Professor Harwell says there are no easy solutions.
"It's a multidimensional problem that spans all parts of medicine and human life, really," he says.
"Antibiotics are ubiquitous, they end up in food and the environment, so finding a single solution is not easy."
The best way to avoid resistant infections is to avoid all infections, which includes more vaccinations, water purification and hygiene, he adds.
"Antibiotics will be used more and more because there will be more people who need them, but we need to ensure that they are used appropriately and that the right drugs are used."
Lindsay Edwards, senior lecturer in microbiology at King's College London, said the study "highlights a significant and alarming increase compared to previous data".
"These findings should be a wake-up call for world health leaders."
"Without decisive action, AMR could jeopardize decades of progress in child health, especially in the most vulnerable regions of the world."
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