Khaberni - The World Health Organization, on Monday, warned about the widespread spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which undermines the effectiveness of vital treatments and increases the likelihood that minor wounds and common infections become fatal.
The organization revealed in a new report that one in every six bacterial infections verified in a lab globally in the year 2023 showed resistance to antibiotics.
Ivan Houten, Director of Universal Health Coverage and Communicable Diseases, told reporters, "These findings are extremely concerning," adding, "As antibiotic resistance continues to spread, we are running out of options and putting lives at risk."
Bacteria have long developed resistance to the drugs designed to treat them, making many of them ineffective.
The pace of this phenomenon has been accelerated by the extensive use of antibiotics in treating humans, animals, and food, allowing antibiotic resistance to develop and become one of the leading causes of death from infectious diseases worldwide.
According to the World Health Organization, antibiotic-resistant germs are directly responsible for half a million deaths and contribute to about 5 million deaths each year.
In its report on antibiotic resistance monitoring, the World Health Organization studied estimates on the spread of resistance to 22 types of antibiotics used in treating urinary tract infections, gastrointestinal infections, blood infections, and gonorrhea.
Between 2018 and 2021, bacterial resistance to antibiotics increased by more than 40% for the antibiotics studied, with an annual increase ranging from 5 to 15%, according to the report.
Resistance to commonly used antibiotics exceeded the 30% threshold globally concerning urinary tract infections.
The Director-General of the World Health Organization warned that "antibiotic resistance is outpacing advances in modern medicine, threatening the health of families around the world."
The World Health Organization praised the improvements in surveillance, but warned that 48% of countries still do not provide any data on antibiotic resistance.
According to the available data, most resistance cases were recorded in regions where the health systems are weaker and surveillance is less stringent.
