Doctors have been warning for years that the great pandemic will not be like the last Covid one, it will be that of infections caused by multi-resistant bacteria, infections that are explained by the misuse that is made (both doctors and citizens) of antibiotics. . The dimensions of this problem are large, although they have only just begun. Some data: in 2023, 23,303 people have died in the 30 days following being diagnosed with an infection by multidrug-resistant bacteria (MRB), a figure that is 20 times higher than the number of people who died in traffic accidents in Spain last year, which It was 1,145, according to the DGT.
These data were announced this morning at an international conference on the fight against resistance organized by the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC), where the results of the “SEIMC-BMR 2023” study were presented.
According to this work, it is estimated that in 2023 there will have been more than 150,000 BMR infections, with urinary tract infection being the most frequent and pneumonia the one with the highest mortality, which makes it a serious health problem.
BMR infections are, according to the World Health Organization, one of the 10 greatest threats to global public health. In 2019, almost five million deaths associated with resistance occurred in the world, of which 1.27 million would be directly related to them.
Furthermore, according to the O’Neill report, it is estimated that they will be the leading cause of death in 2050. Despite these data, experts consider that the magnitude of the health impact of BMR infections is not well quantified.
José Miguel Cisneros, coordinator of the study, pointed out that “the results of this study are very similar to the results obtained in 2018 and 2019, which makes them very consistent.” “Thanks to the 260 researchers belonging to the 130 participating hospitals distributed throughout the national panorama, which represent 40% of the hospital beds available in the country, the study provides knowledge of great epidemiological, clinical and health management value about the infections by these bacteria in our country.”
Rafael Cantón, member of the scientific committee of the study, insists that “antimicrobial resistance is a global health problem in which health professionals have a great responsibility. We must work in a multi- and multidisciplinary way to preserve the sensitivity of microorganisms to antimicrobials. We need well-trained professionals in this area and the determined support of institutions and their managers in this endeavor. “Patients are the ultimate goal of our work in the fight against resistance.”
Francisco Javier Membrillo, vice president of SEIMC, points out that “according to the latest published data, infectious diseases will be the first cause of death in 2050. The changing epidemiology and the increasing complexity of their management make it essential to have highly qualified professionals to guarantee the optimal approach to the most complicated infections.”
“The problem of antimicrobial resistance makes the recognition of the specialty of Infectious Diseases in our country increasingly urgent, the only country in the European Union that has not yet recognized the specialty,” says Membrillo.