A major new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) has delivered bad news: one out of every six serious infections confirmed in labs worldwide last year could not be killed by the antibiotics meant to treat them. Between 2018 and 2023, the problem of antibiotics failing (called resistance) got much worse. For many common types of germs, resistance went up by 5% to 15% every year. The growing inability of these essential medicines to work is a huge threat to people everywhere. What is Antibiotic Resistance? According to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria learn to withstand the medicines(antibiotics) that are supposed to kill them. It's like the bacteria have developed a suit of armor against the drug. When this happens, doctors have to switch to different antibiotics. These backup medicines might not work as well or might cause more side effects. Sometimes, a bacteria can become resistant to all available drugs, which leaves the patient with a dangerous infection that doctors have no way to treat. The alarmingly is that these tough, drug-resistant bacteria can spread from one person to another, both in hospitals and at home. What Antibiotics Are People Becoming Resistant To? The WHO's latest report is the most detailed look yet at this issue. It reports on how much resistance exists across 22 different antibiotics—the common drugs used to treat everyday illnesses. The report focused on eight common types of bacteria that cause things like: Urinary tract infections (UTIs)Stomach and intestinal infectionsDangerous blood infectionsThe sexually transmitted disease gonorrhoeaThese germs include well-known ones like E. coli and the bacteria that cause staph infections. Where Is Antibiotic Resistance A Big Problem? The risk of antibiotics failing is not the same worldwide. It's highest in Southeast Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean, where one in three reported infections were resistant. In the African region, it was one in five. Resistance is also more common and getting worse in places that don't have good hospitals or labs to quickly find out what type of bacteria is causing an illness and what drug might work. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the WHO, said that the rise of this resistance is "outpacing advances in modern medicine," putting families' health at risk. He urged everyone to use antibiotics carefully, and stressed the need for better tests, newer medicines, and stronger systems to prevent infections in the first place. How Does Antibiotic Resistance Cause Us Problems? The report warns that a type of bacteria known as Gram-negative bacteria is becoming the most dangerous threat globally. The countries least able to fight these infections are being hit the hardest.Two types, E. coli and K. pneumoniae, are the most common drug-resistant germs found in life-threatening blood infections. These infections can quickly lead to the body shutting down and death.Globally, the standard, first-choice antibiotic is failing against over 40% of E. coli and over 55% of K. pneumoniae.In Africa, resistance to this key antibiotic is now higher than 70%.Even the last-resort, powerful antibiotics that doctors save for only the worst cases are starting to fail. These "last-resort" drugs are often very expensive and hard to find, especially in poorer countries, leaving doctors with no good options. Can We Resolve This Issue? On a positive note, more countries are starting to report data to the WHO's tracking system (called GLASS). The number has grown from 25 countries to 104 countries in the last seven years.However, almost half of the world’s countries still didn't report data last year, and many that did still don't have good enough systems to track the problem accurately. Often, the countries that need help the most are the ones that can’t measure their own problem. The WHO is urging all countries to work together to fight this by strengthening health systems and tracking resistance in people, animals, and the environment. The goal is for every country to report good-quality data on antibiotic resistance by 2030 so the world can clearly see the problem and decide how to fix it.
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