Khaberni - The World Health Organization stated on Monday that one in every six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections is now resistant to antibiotic treatment, calling for more responsible use of these drugs.
The UN agency added in a report based on data from more than 100 countries between 2016 and 2023, that antibiotic resistance rates have risen in about 40% of the samples analyzed.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement accompanying the report, "Antimicrobial resistance is accelerating at a pace that exceeds progress in modern medicine, threatening the health of families around the world."
He added, "We must use antibiotics responsibly, ensuring that everyone has access to the appropriate medications, reliable diagnostics, and effective vaccines."
Globally, antibiotic resistance directly causes more than one million deaths annually. While genetic changes in pathogens are part of a natural process, human activities such as misuse of antibiotics and overuse to control infections in humans, animals, and plants accelerate this process.
According to the World Health Organization, the highest levels of antibiotic resistance are found in parts of South Asia and the Middle East where one in three recorded infections are resistant to antibiotics.
In Africa, the organization confirmed that the resistance rate to the recommended first-line treatment for certain types of bacteria that cause bloodstream infections and can lead to sepsis, organ failure, and death now exceeds 70%.
