Dangerous infections that no longer respond to antibiotics are spreading quickly around the world, increasing by as much as 15% a year, a new report from the World Health Organization states.
The report found that 1 in 6 infections worldwide in 2023 was resistant to common antibiotics, including drugs used to treat urinary tract infections, gonorrhea and E. coli.
These antibiotic-resistant infections, known as antimicrobial resistance, kill more than 1 million people a year and contribute to the deaths of nearly 5 million others.
"Antibiotic resistance is widespread and threatening the future of modern medicine," Dr. Yvan Hutin, director of WHO's Department of Antimicrobial Resistance, told The New York Times. "Simply put, the less people have access to quality care, the more they're likely to suffer from drug-resistant infection."
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