Three million children die globally sake of antibiotics resistance

More dan three million children around di world dey believed to don die for 2022 as a result of infections wey dey resistant to antibiotics.
Dis na according to a study by two leading experts for child health.
Dem find out say na children for Africa and South East Asia dey at risk pass.
Antimicrobial resistance - known as AMR - dey develop wen di microbes wey dey cause infections evolve in such a way wey antibiotic drugs no dey work.
E dey identified as one of di biggest public health threats wey dey face di world population.
One new study now reveal di toll wey AMR dey take on children.
Using data from multiple sources wey include di World Health Organization (WHO) and di World Bank, di report authors don calculate say e get more dan three million child deaths for 2022 wey dey linked to drug-resistant infections.
Sabi pipo say dis new study highlights more dan tenfold increase for AMR-related infections in children for just three years.
Di number fit even dey worse by di impact of di Covid pandemic.
Increased use of antibiotics
Dem dey use antibiotics to treat or prevent different types of bacterial infections - evritin from skin infections to pneumonia.
Dem dey also sometimes give as precaution to prevent, rather dan treat an infection - for example if pesin get operation or dey receive chemotherapy treatment for cancer.
Antibiotics no get impact on viral infections, though - illnesses such as di common cold, flu or Covid.
But some bacteria don evolve as resistance to some drugs, due to dia overuse and inappropriate use, while di production of new antibiotics - a lengthy and costly process - don slow down.
Di report lead authors, Doctor Yanhong Jessika Hu of Murdoch Children Research Institute for Australia and Professor Herb Harwell of di Clinton Health Access Initiative, point to a significant growth for di use of antibiotics wey suppose dey for only di most serious infections.
Between 2019 and 2021 di use of "watch antibiotics", drugs wit a high risk of resistance, increase by 160% for South East Asia and 126% for Africa.
Ova di same period, "reserve antibiotics", di last-resort treatments for severe, multidrug-resistant infections rise by 45% for South East Asia and 125% for Africa.
Why options dey drop
Di authors warn say if bacteria develop resistance to dis antibiotics, e go get few alternatives for treating multidrug-resistant infections, if any one go dey.
Prof Harwell dey present di findings at di Congress of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases for Vienna later dis month.
"AMR na global problem. E dey affect evri one. We do dis work really to focus on di disproportionate way wey AMR dey affect children," e tok ahead of di event.
"We estimate three million deaths of children worldwide associated wit antimicrobial resistance."
Solution dey for AMR?
WHO describe AMR as one of di most serious global health threats, we face, but Prof Harwell from Vienna warn say e no get any easy answers.
"Na multi-faceted problem wey dey extend into all aspects of medicine and really, human life," e tok.
"Antibiotics dey evriwia around us, dem end up for our food and di environment and to come up wit a single solution no dey easy."
Di best way to avoid resistant infection na to avoid infection altogeda, wey mean higher levels of immunisation, water sanitation and hygiene dey needed, e add.
"More antibiotics no go dey to use becos e get more pipo wey need dem, but we gatz make sure say e dey used appropriately and di correct medicines dey used."
Dr Lindsey Edwards, wey be senior lecturer for microbiology for Kings College London, say di new study "mark a significant and alarming increase compared to previous data".
"Dis findings suppose serve as a wake-up call for global health leaders. Witout decisive action, AMR fit undermine decades of progress for child health, particularly for di world most vulnerable regions."

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The Independent

12 hours ago

• The Independent

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