A new report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a stark warning, revealing that a cornerstone of modern medicine is becoming “ineffective.” The study revealed that in 2023, one out of every six confirmed bacterial infections worldwide did not respond to regular antibiotics. This growing problem, called antimicrobial resistance (AMR), could erase years of medical progress.
What is the Scale of the Problem?
The data, which was gathered from more than 100 nations, shows that resistance is increasing at an alarming rate. According to the WHO’s Global Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance Report 2025, more than 40% of the pathogen-antibiotic combinations under observation lost some of their effectiveness between 2018 and 2023. This translates to an average annual increase in resistance of 5% to 15%. The report is the first of its kind to provide detailed resistance estimates for 22 different antibiotics used to treat common infections like those in the urinary tract, bloodstream, and gastrointestinal system.
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Which Regions are Most Affected?
Antibiotic resistance is a global issue, but its impact is not evenly distributed. According to the report, the Eastern Mediterranean and South-East Asian regions are where the issue is most acute. A startling one in three bacterial infections that were detected in these regions were antibiotic-resistant. The WHO found that in Africa, about 20% of infections were resistant to antibiotics. This issue is made worse by weak healthcare infrastructure, which struggles to detect and treat such cases, letting resistance spread unchecked.
Which Bacteria Pose the Greatest Threat?
The report highlights specific “gram-negative” bacterial pathogens as the most urgent threats. E. coli and K. pneumoniae, which are common causes of severe bloodstream infections that can lead to sepsis and death, are becoming increasingly difficult to treat. Unfortunately, third-generation cephalosporins, the first-choice antibiotics for E. coli and K. pneumoniae, are no longer effective against over 40% of E. coli and over 55% of K. pneumoniae globally. Other essential last-line antibiotics are also slowly losing their power.
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What is the Call to Action?
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that “Antimicrobial resistance is outpacing advances in modern medicine.” This means using current antibiotics wisely and making sure everyone can access the right medicines and tests. He also stressed that future health depends on better infection-prevention systems and developing new antibiotics and fast diagnostic tools.
