WHO Report warns rising resistance to Antibiotics, India has much to worry
By Dr. Gyan Pathak
One in six bacterial infections globally are resistant to standard antibiotics endangering millions of lives and straining heath systems. Even common infections are becoming harder, sometimes impossible to treat. India has much to worry, because very large number of resistant infections have been reported from this country.
The new Global Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance Report 2025 of the World Health Organization (WHO) finds that antibiotic resistance rose in over 40 per cent of the pathogen-antibiotic combinations monitored, with an average annual increase of 5-10 per cent. It is against the target set by the 2024 UNGA Political Declaration of reducing deaths associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by at least 10 per cent and ensuring that at least 70 per cent of overall human antibiotic use is from the WHO AWaRe (Access, Watch, Reserve antibiotics) Accessgroup.
According to WHO estimates bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths in 2019 and contributed to nearly five million deaths globally. Without action, experts warn, resistant infections could cause an estimated $3 trillion in global GDP losses per year by 2030.
Nearly half (41%) of the articles on bloodstream infections originated from three countries (China, India and Pakistan)of the 61 countries with data. Similarly, 42% of the articles on gastrointestinal infections were from two countries (China and Islamic Republic of Iran) of the 18 countries with data, while 42%of those on urinary tract infection were from four countries (India, Iraq, Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan) of the 74 countries with data. Few data were available from the African Region for all three infection types.
According to WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS), antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the 10 top global health threats, undermining the effectiveness of essential treatments and placing millions at risk of untreatable infections. GLASS was launched in 2015 and by the end of 2024 it covered 127 countries and three territories and areas. A total of 104 countries contributed data on AMR for 2023, on the basis of which this new report has been prepared.
The report’s main findings are concerning. Resistance to life-saving medicines is critically high and rising, especially in resource-limited settings. Such inequalities underline the urgent need to address AMR by investing in health systems, especially to prevent infections and to ensure access to timely, high-quality, affordable, appropriate diagnosis and treatment.
In 2023, approximately one in six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections worldwide were caused by bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Median resistance was most common in urinary tract infections (approximately 1 in 3) and bloodstream infections (1 in 6) and less so in gastrointestinal (1 in 15) and urogenital gonorrhoeal infections (1 in 125). Resistance was most frequent in the South-East Asia and Eastern Mediterranean regions (almost 1 in3 infections), followed by the African Region(1 in 5), all above the global median. Resistance was less frequent in the European Region (1 in 10) and least frequent in the Western Pacific Region (1 in 11), indicating wide regional disparity.
Analysis of the extent of resistance in93 infection type–pathogen–antibiotic combinations indicates a global pattern of AMR characterized by widespread resistance to essential first-choice, second-choice and last-resort antibiotics, but with substantial variation among pathogens and regions. Rising AMR is limiting empirical therapeutic choices and driving a shift from oral to intravenous treatments, including greater reliance on second-choice and last-resort antibiotics. Many drug-resistant pathogens are associated with severe clinical outcomes and limited therapeutic options.
The treatability of infections by many of these resistant pathogens, remains low to moderately low. Prevention of these infections is often difficult and particularly challenging to control due to widespread transmission. Meanwhile, the antibiotic development pipeline remains weak and is unlikely to deliver effective alternatives in the near future for several of the most pressing threats.
“Antimicrobial resistance is outpacing advances in modern medicine, threatening the health of families worldwide,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus adding, “we must use antibiotics responsibility and make sure everyone has access to the right medicines, quality-assured diagnostics and vaccines.”
The drug resistance phenomenon – often described as “silent pandemic” – is driven by the misuse and overuse of antibiotics in humans, animals and agriculture, as well as by poor infection control and limited access to quality medicines.
Rising resistance is “forcing clinicians to turn to last-resort antibiotics, “the report warned. These treatments are costly, complex and often unavailable in lower-income countries, narrowing options and increasing risk of mortality.
The report also finds that resistance is most widespread in countries with weak health systems and limited surveillance capacity, underscoring a cycle in which poor data and fragile healthcare infrastructures fuel worsening outcomes. (IPA Service)
