Bacterial Infections the 'Second Leading Cause of Death Worldwide'

Hand washing is advised to prevent infection with the pathogens S. aureus and E. coli, which are behind a huge number of deaths every year JENS SCHLUETER AFP/File

Bacterial infections are the second leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for one in eight of all deaths in 2019, the first global estimate of their lethality revealed on Tuesday.

The massive new study, published in the Lancet journal, looked at deaths from 33 common bacterial pathogens and 11 types of infection across 204 countries and territories, AFP said.