Antibiotic emergency ‘could claim 40 million lives in next 25 years’
GuardianJAN 7
UK Health Official: Antimicrobial-Resistant Bacteria Could Kill 40M by 2050
Above: A technician holds a bacterial cell culture on an agar plate at Bugworks Research India Ltd. in Bengaluru, India, on May 31, 2018. Image copyright: Samyukta Lakshmi/Contributor/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
The pharmaceutical industry lacks financial incentives to develop new antibiotics since these drugs are used infrequently compared to daily medications for chronic conditions, creating a dangerous innovation gap in addressing the antimicrobial-resistant bacteria crisis. This innovation gap needs to be crossed to ensure better preparedness for the future.
Narrative B
Improving access to healthcare, enhancing infection prevention and control measures, and reducing inappropriate antibiotic use could reportedly save 92M lives between 2025 and 2050. This crisis is actually manageable right now if actions are coordinated immediately.
Narrative C
Simplistic narratives that produce fear need to be avoided when it comes to the threat of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Solving this complex public health challenge requires careful research, comprehensive public health surveillance, and collaborative solutions. Alarmism does not help.