Antimicrobial resistance: a silent pandemic threatening global health

AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, or parasites no longer respond to medications, making common infections untreatable and routine medical procedures dangerous. Dr. Sylvester Ikhisemojie explains that bacteria mutate to resist antibiotics, a process accelerated by two main factors: the inappropriate use of antibiotics for viral infections like colds, and the misuse of prescribed antibiotics, such as not completing a full course. This allows stronger bacteria to survive and multiply, leading to drug resistance.

The consequences include prolonged illness, increased hospital visits, and the need for more expensive and toxic drugs. The world is moving towards a "pre-antibiotic era" where minor infections could become life-threatening. AMR is currently causing approximately five million deaths annually, predominantly in developing nations.

Hospitals in India, Pakistan, Kenya, and Nigeria report high resistance rates to recently developed antibiotics, with African and South Asian hospitals seeing a 50 to 70 percent rise in resistance to common antibiotics. Factors like climate change, conflict, and weak healthcare systems contribute to its spread, but human attitudes towards antibiotic use are also a major problem. The lack of new antibiotic development exacerbates the issue.

Unlike malaria, for which vaccines and effective treatments exist, AMR poses a silent, accelerating