Antibiotic resistance is rising sharply worldwide, threatening to make once-treatable infections deadly again, according to a new report from the World Health Organization. The agency found that one in six bacterial infections in 2023 was resistant to antibiotics — a major increase fueled by overuse of the drugs in people, animals, and food production. “We’re running out of treatment options,” said Yvan Hutin, director of WHO’s antimicrobial resistance program.
The report showed that resistance climbed in more than 40% of the 22 antibiotics tracked. Infections such as E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were among the most resistant, with more than 40% of E. coli and over half of K. pneumoniae cases no longer responding to first-line drugs. Globally, drug-resistant “superbugs” now cause more than one million deaths per year and contribute to millions more.
The highest resistance rates were found in Southeast Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean, where one in three infections no longer responds to treatment. WHO officials warn that without urgent action — including better surveillance, stricter antibiotic use, and new drug development — routine infections could soon become life-threatening again.
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