Antibiotic Resistant Infection Deaths on Track to Increase 70 Percent by 2050

A recent study projects that deaths around the world due to infections that are resistant to existing antibiotics could increase nearly 70 percent by 2050. These antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” are fueled by what is known as antimicrobial resistance (AMR) caused by overuse and misuse of antibiotics as well as over-sanitization efforts. The World Health Organization (WHO) has called AMR “one of the top global public health and development threats.” The study published in The Lancet last month states that from 2025 to 2050, the world could see more than 39 million deaths directly attributed to AMR.¹

Research from the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Pew Charitable Trusts shows that nearly one in three antibiotics prescribed at outpatient facilities is unnecessary. Antibiotics are ineffective against viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 or the flu. Earlier this year, the WHO presented findings of “extensive overuse” of antibiotics during the peak years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its data suggested that approximately 75 percent of patients were treated with antibiotics “just in case”, despite only eight percent of patients hospitalized with COVID having bacterial co-infections.²