A growing number of bacterial infections are no longer responding to standard antibiotic treatments, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned in a new report that highlights an alarming surge in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) since 2018.
According to the findings, one in six bacterial infections globally is now resistant to conventional antibiotics. The WHO study, which analyzed data from more than 23 million cases across 104 countries in 2023, found that resistance has increased in about 40 percent of pathogen-antibiotic combinations over the past five years.
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens evolve to survive exposure to drugs that once effectively killed them. This makes common infections such as those of the blood, gut, urinary tract, and sexually transmitted diseases harder—and sometimes impossible—to treat.
Health experts say human behavior contributes significantly to the problem. Patients who fail to complete prescribed antibiotic courses and doctors who misuse antibiotics for viral infections both accelerate resistance. “Antimicrobial resistance is outpacing advances in modern medicine, threatening the health of families worldwide,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The problem is particularly severe in low- and middle-income countries, where diagnostic facilities and access to alternative treatments are limited. The report estimates that one in three bacterial infections in Southeast Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean are now resistant to antibiotics, compared to one in five in Africa. However, even high-income nations are not immune: a recent study predicted that deaths attributed to AMR in wealthier countries could rise from 125,000 in 2021 to nearly 192,000 annually by 2050.
The WHO report warns that resistance is rising fastest among Gram-negative bacteria—pathogens responsible for many severe hospital-acquired infections. These infections, which can lead to sepsis, organ failure, and death, are increasingly difficult to treat. In some regions of Africa, resistance rates for bacteria such as Klebsiella pneumoniae and E. coli have exceeded 70 percent, leaving few effective options for doctors.
Other bacteria, including Salmonella and Acinetobacter, are also showing growing resistance to key antibiotic classes such as carbapenems and fluoroquinolones. Of particular concern, the last reliable treatment for gonorrhoea—ceftriaxone—has begun to fail in parts of the Eastern Mediterranean, raising fears that the common sexually transmitted infection could soon become untreatable.
To combat the crisis, WHO has urged countries to reduce reliance on powerful “Watch” antibiotics and ensure that at least 70 percent of global antibiotic use comes from first-line “Access” drugs by 2030. “Our future depends on strengthening systems to prevent, diagnose, and treat infections while investing in next-generation antibiotics and rapid diagnostic tools,” Dr. Tedros emphasized.
