Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance Report

On 20^th January, 2022, the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) Report was published in The Lancet.

• Based on estimates from 204 countries and territories, the report provides the most comprehensive estimate of the global impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) so far.

Report Highlights: Mortality: In 2019, apart from 12.7 lakh deaths caused directly by AMR (these would not have occurred had the infections been drug-susceptible), another 49.5 lakh deaths were associated with AMR.

• Almost 30% or 3.89 lakh of these deaths occurred in South Asia in 2019.
• Sample: The report used statistical modelling to estimate deaths linked to 23 pathogens and 88 pathogen-drug combinations.
• Of the 23 pathogens studied, drug resistance in six - Escherichia coli, followed by Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa - led directly to 9.29 lakh deaths and was associated with 3.57 million deaths.
• One pathogen-drug combination - methicillin-resistant S. aureus, or MRSA - directly caused more than 1 lakh deaths.
• Resistance to two classes of antibiotics often considered the first line of defence against severe infections - fluoroquinolones and beta-lactam antibiotics - accounted for more than 70% of deaths caused by AMR.
• Respiratory-tract Infections: Lower respiratory-tract infections accounted for more than 1.5 million deaths associated with resistance in 2019, making it the most common infectious syndrome.
• Drug Resistence in Children: In 2019, one in five global deaths attributable to AMR occurred in children under the age of five - often from previously treatable infections.
• The death due to AMR is now a leading cause of death worldwide, higher than HIV/AIDS or malaria.
• Impact of COVID-19: The high levels of hospitalisations from COVID-19 have possibly accelerated the burden of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) as most patients were prescribed antibiotics.
• Impact on the Poor: AMR disproportionately affects poor individuals who have little access to second-line, more expensive antibiotics that could work when first-line drugs fail.