|
||
|
TWN
Info Service on Health Issues (Apr25/10) At the 2025 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) congress, a new study revealed that more than 3 million child deaths in 2022were linked to antimicrobial resistance (AMR)—with the highest toll in Southeast Asia and Africa. Conducted by the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and the University of Melbourne, the study analysed AMR-related mortality in children across 83 countries using WHO priority pathogens data and the AWaRe antibiotic classification system. The AWaRe framework groups antibiotics into three categories:
The WHO recommends that at least 60% of antibiotic use globally come from the Access group, to reduce resistance and preserve more powerful antibiotics. However, in many low- and middle-income countries, this target remains out of reach due to limited diagnostic tools, high infection rates, and poor sanitation, which often push healthcare providers to rely on stronger drugs from the Watch and Reserve groups. Between 2019 and 2021, the study found usage of Watch antibiotics increased by 160% in Southeast Asia and 126% in Africa, with similar spikes in Reserve drug use—raising major concerns about escalating resistance and treatment failure. Dr. Joseph Harwell, study co-author and Senior Clinical Director at CHAI, warned that rising resistance to Watch and Reserve antibiotics will drive treatment failure and increase already alarming child mortality rates, particularly in regions with constrained healthcare resources. He called for “urgent and coordinated action”, including stronger AMR surveillance and mandatory hospital-based antimicrobial stewardship programs in pediatric care settings. The full story on the study is available on CIDRAP News <https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/antimicrobial-stewardship/more-3-million-child-deaths-2022-linked-antimicrobial-resistance>, 14 April 2025. With best wishes, Third World Network
|
||
