Infographic: Antimicrobial resistance a threat to everyone

According to a UN report, the misuse and overuse of antimicrobial drugs in humans, animals and plants are fuelling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that makes it difficult to treat common infections like tuberculosis and malaria, which could cause 10 million deaths annually by 2050.

The misuse and overuse of antimicrobial drugs in humans, animals and plants are fuelling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that makes it difficult to treat common infections such as tuberculosis and malaria, which could cause 10 million deaths annually by 2050, according to a United Nations Interagency Coordination Group (IACG) on Antimicrobial Resistance report released recently.

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing threat. (AP File)

The WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (GLASS) collects data from 71 countries, including India, in which more than a third of countries reported widespread resistance to common pathogens. In some member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), about 35% of common human infections are already resistant to currently available medicines, and in some low- and middle-income countries, resistance rates are as high as 80%-90% for some antibiotic-bacterium combinations.

The following infographic looks at the menace of AMR in detail.