Cases of antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs,’ which render common life-saving treatments ineffective and can turn even minor infections into deadly threats, are soaring, the World Health Organization has warned. The U.N. agency warned that one in six laboratory-tested bacterial infections showed resistance to antibiotic treatment, with resistance increasing rapidly over the past five years. “These findings are deeply concerning,” said Yvan J-F. Hutin, head of the WHO’s antimicrobial resistance department. “As antibiotic resistance continues to rise, we’re running out of treatment options and we’re putting lives at risk.” Data published by the agency shows an alarming level of treatment failures, with 30 percent of urinary tract infections, 40 percent of E. Coli and 55 percent of K. pneumoniae infections—which can cause fatal bloodstream infections—showing resistance to first-choice antibiotic treatments. Experts believe the data is also compromised by the fact that nearly half of all countries fail to report antimicrobial resistance (AMR) data, meaning the actual figures could be much higher than reported. “We are definitely flying blind in a number of countries,” Hutin acknowledged, and said the lack of testing and new treatments in the pipeline to treat the new infections could lead to a severe public health crisis. His thoughts were echoed by WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who acknowledged in a statement that “Antimicrobial resistance is outpacing advances in modern medicine.”
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