More than 3 million children die a year from antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections...Southeast Asia and Africa alone have 1.4 million people
Apr 14, 2025
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At the European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID Global 2025) held in Vienna, Austria on the 14th, an international research team led by Professor Joseph Howell of Brown University in the United States announced that 1.4 million children in Southeast Asia and Africa died of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in 2022. The research team pointed out that antibiotic use is increasing rapidly in Southeast Asia and Africa, which is related to the increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
In the WHO classification (WHO AWaRe), antibiotics are divided into Access Antibiotics, which have a narrow range of action, fewer side effects, and low probability of antibiotic resistance, Watch Antibiotics, which are used in more severe patients with higher probability of antibiotic resistance, and Reserve Antibiotics, which treat severe infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens. Limited use is recommended when necessary for preserving antibiotic effects and preventing the occurrence of resistance, since monitored and withheld antibiotics are not for primary treatment.
The research team analyzed child deaths from antibiotic use and antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections by combining Pfizer's Global Antibiotic Surveillance Program (Pfizer ATLAS), the World Health Organization's Global Antibiotic Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS), and the University of Washington's Institute of Health and Metrology (IHME) mortality data.
As a result of the analysis, the number of child deaths from antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections and complications in 2022 was the highest in Southeast Asia with 752,000, followed by Africa (659,000), the Western Pacific, and the Middle East. In particular, antibiotic use has increased rapidly in Southeast Asia and Africa. In 2019-2021, antibiotic use under surveillance increased by 160% in Southeast Asia and 126% in Africa, while withholding antibiotic use increased by 45% in Southeast Asia and 125% in Africa during the same period.
In addition, most of the more than 3 million children's deaths worldwide were found to be linked to the use of antibiotics under surveillance and withholding antibiotics, a last-ditch treatment for severe multidrug-resistant infections.
Professor Howell emphasized that "antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a serious threat to children vulnerable to infection" and that "this study demonstrates the urgent need for a joint response at the regional and global level to address the problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in children, especially in regions with high disease burden, such as Southeast Asia and Africa.'
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
