Antibiotic-resistant infections killed 1.2 million people in 2019, according to a study published in The Lancet. The title, “The Neglected Antimicrobial Resistance Pandemic,” underscores the growing threat of superbugs.
The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Washington and Oxford. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) kills as many people as HIV (680,000) and malaria (627,000) combined, they say.
The researchers further stated that these superbugs were a potential factor in the deaths of 5 million people worldwide in 2019.
By comparison, Covid-19 killed 3.5 million people last year.
The figure of 1.2 million deaths is far higher than estimates published by the World Health Organization (WHO), which said 700,000 people died from drug-resistant infections.
The study, published in The Lancet, further calls for urgent action to stop AMR deaths from rising further.
Complete News Source : Hindustan Times
