New Delhi: Nearly 7.5 lakh deaths linked to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could be prevented every year in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) by improving infection prevention measures, according to an analysis. Lancet Journal.
These measures include hand hygiene, regular cleaning and sterilization of equipment in health facilities, as well as providing access to safe drinking water, effective sanitation and pediatric vaccines, the researchers said.
The international team of researchers estimates that each year, one in eight deaths globally are caused by bacterial infections – a total of about 7.7 million deaths, 5 million of which are linked to bacteria that became resistant to antibiotics. Are.
The authors called for support in providing sustainable access to antibiotics for ambitious and actionable targets to combat AMR.
"Access to effective antibiotics is essential for patients around the world," said series co-author Iruka Okeke of the University of Ibadan.Failure to provide these antibiotics puts us at risk of not meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on child survival and aging health." Nigeria.
Okeke said effective antibiotics prolong life, reduce disability, reduce health care costs and enable other life-saving medical actions such as surgery.
"However, antimicrobial resistance is on the rise – accelerated by the inappropriate use of antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic – which is threatening the backbone of modern medicine and already leading to deaths," Okeke said. And causing diseases that could have been prevented."
Current infection prevention methods could prevent AMR-related deaths, according to modeling analysis done to put together the Series O papers.
The authors found that 3.37 lakh deaths per year could be saved by improving infection prevention and control in health facilities, including better hand hygiene and routine cleaning and sterilization of equipment.They found that approximately 2.5 lakh deaths could be avoided annually by providing universal access to safe drinking water and effective sanitation in community settings.
Additionally, researchers found that 1.82 lakh deaths per year could be avoided by expanding access to some pediatric vaccines, such as the pneumococcal vaccine, which helps protect against pneumonia and meningitis, as well as introducing new vaccines, such as the RSV vaccine for pregnant women. Is.
Co-author Yewande Alimi said, “Our findings highlight how public health actions to prevent infection should be prioritized as a strategy to combat AMR in the first place because these approaches have the potential to reduce the risk of infection associated with AMR. "There is potential to significantly reduce the number of deaths from infections." Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"If we can focus on improving infection control methods, water and sanitation, and vaccination in LMICs, it will be possible to reduce the number of AMR-related deaths by 10 percent by 2030," Alimi said.,
As well as preventing infection in the first place, the authors also saw evidence for preventing resistance emerging in bacteria.
Antibiotic stewardship (reducing the use of antibiotics when the benefit to patients is limited) is believed to reduce the selection pressure on bacteria to develop resistance, however, research in this area is lacking.
"The currently limited evidence on the impact of antibiotic stewardship on AM in low- and middle-income countries does not mean that this is not an important intervention that needs attention, but rather that estimating the impacts of antibiotic stewardship in those countries gets tough.
"We urgently need studies to examine the impact to help inform future policies and interventions appropriate for different contexts," said co-author Esmit Charani of the University of Cape Town, South Africa."
These measures include hand hygiene, regular cleaning and sterilization of equipment in health facilities, as well as providing access to safe drinking water, effective sanitation and pediatric vaccines, the researchers said.
The international team of researchers estimates that each year, one in eight deaths globally are caused by bacterial infections – a total of about 7.7 million deaths, 5 million of which are linked to bacteria that became resistant to antibiotics. Are.
The authors called for support in providing sustainable access to antibiotics for ambitious and actionable targets to combat AMR.
"Access to effective antibiotics is essential for patients around the world," said series co-author Iruka Okeke of the University of Ibadan.Failure to provide these antibiotics puts us at risk of not meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on child survival and aging health." Nigeria.
Okeke said effective antibiotics prolong life, reduce disability, reduce health care costs and enable other life-saving medical actions such as surgery.
"However, antimicrobial resistance is on the rise – accelerated by the inappropriate use of antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic – which is threatening the backbone of modern medicine and already leading to deaths," Okeke said. And causing diseases that could have been prevented."
Current infection prevention methods could prevent AMR-related deaths, according to modeling analysis done to put together the Series O papers.
The authors found that 3.37 lakh deaths per year could be saved by improving infection prevention and control in health facilities, including better hand hygiene and routine cleaning and sterilization of equipment.They found that approximately 2.5 lakh deaths could be avoided annually by providing universal access to safe drinking water and effective sanitation in community settings.
Additionally, researchers found that 1.82 lakh deaths per year could be avoided by expanding access to some pediatric vaccines, such as the pneumococcal vaccine, which helps protect against pneumonia and meningitis, as well as introducing new vaccines, such as the RSV vaccine for pregnant women. Is.
Co-author Yewande Alimi said, “Our findings highlight how public health actions to prevent infection should be prioritized as a strategy to combat AMR in the first place because these approaches have the potential to reduce the risk of infection associated with AMR. "There is potential to significantly reduce the number of deaths from infections." Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"If we can focus on improving infection control methods, water and sanitation, and vaccination in LMICs, it will be possible to reduce the number of AMR-related deaths by 10 percent by 2030," Alimi said.,
As well as preventing infection in the first place, the authors also saw evidence for preventing resistance emerging in bacteria.
Antibiotic stewardship (reducing the use of antibiotics when the benefit to patients is limited) is believed to reduce the selection pressure on bacteria to develop resistance, however, research in this area is lacking.
"The currently limited evidence on the impact of antibiotic stewardship on AM in low- and middle-income countries does not mean that this is not an important intervention that needs attention, but rather that estimating the impacts of antibiotic stewardship in those countries gets tough.
"We urgently need studies to examine the impact to help inform future policies and interventions appropriate for different contexts," said co-author Esmit Charani of the University of Cape Town, South Africa."
