Some 1.27 million people died in 2019 directly as a result of infection because the bacteria causing the infection were resistant to the drugs designed to kill them, according to a recent study in The Lancet; overall, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is estimated to have contributed directly or indirectly to the premature, preventable deaths of nearly five million people in 2019.
In fact, AMR has become a leading cause of death worldwide, killing more people than HIV/Aids and malaria. By 2050, the number of deaths associated with AMR could reach 10 million and cost more than US$100 trillion (3.6 quadrillion baht) without collective action.
For people living with cancer, AMR poses a particular threat due to compromised immune systems resulting from chemotherapy and other treatments, which makes them even more vulnerable to infections. About one in 5 cancer patients undergoing treatment are hospitalised due to infection and antibiotics are a key line of defence in cancer care. AMR is therefore undermining key advances being made in cancer care by threatening the survival of people with cancer: it is estimated that 8.5% of deaths among people being treated for cancer are due to severe sepsis or blood poisoning.
