Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), referred to as “the silent pandemic” by World Health Organisation (WHO), is an evolving risk with the potential to severely disrupt healthcare systems worldwide; a challenge that needs increased awareness and cooperation across sectors, Swiss Re’s Paul Murray has highlighted.
Unlike COVID-19, “a pandemic that shouted in our faces” as described by the Life & Health Reinsurance CEO, AMR is another health crisis that quietly but steadily is gaining momentum and claiming lives.
Because of this, this health crisis deserves an elevated place on the global agenda, Murray highlighted.
The accelerated spread of antimicrobial resistance – when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines once used to contain them.
– has been attributed to excessive and improper use of antibiotics in both humans and animals.
Similarly, a recent Swiss Re Institute report “Antimicrobial resistance: a silent threat to our future” also pinpointed over- and misuse of antibiotics as the crux of the problem.
“During the pandemic, this took a worrying turn: the WHO has reported that while only 8% of hospitalised patients had bacterial co-infections, 75% were treated with antibiotics. That means most patients received no benefit, while the risk of promoting antibiotic-resistant bacteria increased. Poor infection prevention and control practices contribute to the problem,” Murray explained.
He continued: “Failure to make strides means AMR may kill many more people in coming decades: a study published in The Lancet projects some 1.91 million annual deaths attributable to AMR and 8.2 million annual deaths linked to AMR globally by mid-century.”
Although not everything is negative, according to the The Lancet study, AMR mortality in children under five years has declined by 50% since the 1990s, in part as sanitation infrastructure improvements pay dividends.
Murray emphasised that this situation underscores the critical need to invest in infection prevention. However, the increasing AMR risks faced by older individuals serve as a stark reminder that there’s a long way to go in tackling this issue.
Additionally, while AMR is a global challenge, its impacts are unequally distributed, disproportionately affecting people in the most vulnerable regions.
In India, AMR-associated death rates are some 50% higher than those of Europe or the US, while in sub-Saharan Africa, death rates are double those of developed countries.
“On continents whose combined populations will approach 4 billion people by 2050, AMR is a tragedy with all the makings of a catastrophe,” Murray stated.
Climate change is another factor that is exacerbating AMR, as geographies where drug-resistant microbes are likely to thrive are expanding, according to the executive.
To this, armed conflicts need to be added, as they can destabilise healthcare systems and also intensify exposure to drug-resistant pathogens.
On the 26th of September, the United Nations General Assembly will hold a high-level meeting on AMR, a great opportunity for world leaders to raise more awareness to this global health threat.
Murray concluded: “AMR is an evolving risk with the potential to severely disrupt healthcare systems worldwide. In the most pessimistic scenarios, common medical and surgical procedures may once again prove to be life threatening. A collaborative approach is needed to ensure that improvements flow to nations whose populations are amongst the most vulnerable.
“COVID-19 was a pandemic that shouted in our faces. While AMR may be “the silent pandemic,” it demands that nations lift their voices in unison to address it. Increased awareness, ongoing global surveillance, and cooperation across sectors and borders are the keys to overcoming this challenge.”
