Beyond Infection: The Global Health and Economic Burden of Antimicrobial Resistance

Abstract

Anti-microbial Resistance (AMR) has become one of the major contributors to mortality and disability globally. After the discovery of antimicrobials, it was believed by the medical industry that the battle against microbes would be conquered. However, the rise in resistance of microbes changed the dynamics of the battle. The numbers of morbidity and mortality are staggering due to AMR in 2021 about 21.36 Million people died due sepsis and 4.71 people died due to drug-resistant infections. If this trend continues, it is estimated that 39 million people will be expected to die by 2050. AMR has grown from a clinical issue to a systemic threat that is challenging global health security and economic stability. AMR, if overlooked, can cause critical economic losses according to WHO AMR can cause an additional 1 trillion dollars in healthcare costs by 2050 and GPD loss of about 3.4 trillion per year by 2030. The high-burden pathogens, especially those belonging to the ESKAPE group, are at the centre of HAIs as well as treatment failures. The health burden caused by AMR is not limited to increased mortality rates but also includes increased durations of hospitalization, increased risks of complications during critical medical procedures such as cancer chemotherapy, organ transplantation, and neonatal care, as well as compromised surgical safety. Based on projections by global institutions, unless effective control measures are put in place, AMR is expected to significantly impact global GDP in the coming decades. The global response to AMR, such as antimicrobial stewardship programmes and surveillance, as well as the One Health approach, is critical but needs to be more effectively implemented. The issue of AMR requires urgent, sustained, and multidisciplinary action to reduce its growing health burden as well as economic consequences.

Keywords: Antimicrobial resistance, AMR Health Burden, AMR Economic burden,  Antimicrobial Stewardship