NEW DELHI: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has updated its list of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that pose the most threat to human health, and have ranked the 15 families of bacteria by grouping them as ‘critical’, ‘high’ and ‘medium’ threats.
The list provides guidance on the development of new and necessary treatments to stop the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites no longer respond to medicines, making people sicker and increasing the risk of disease spread, illness and deaths. AMR is driven in large part by the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials.
“By mapping the global burden of drug-resistant bacteria and assessing their impact on public health, this list is key to guiding investment and grappling with the antibiotics pipeline and access crisis,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Antimicrobial Resistance ad interim.
“Since the first Bacterial Priority Pathogens List was released in 2017, the threat of antimicrobial resistance has intensified, eroding the efficacy of numerous antibiotics and putting many of the gains of modern medicine at risk.”
The updated Bacterial Priority Pathogens List (BPPL) 2024’s ‘critical’ list features bacteria that present major global threats due to their high burden, have the ability to resist treatment and spread resistance to other bacteria.
“Antimicrobial resistance jeopardizes our ability to effectively treat high-burden infections, such as tuberculosis, leading to severe illness and increased mortality rates,” said Dr Jérôme Salomon, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Universal Health Coverage, Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases.
According to Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, Co-Chairman of the National Indian Medical Association (IMA) COVID Task Force, AMR is one of the biggest threats to global health, expected to result in millions of deaths.
“This occurs when infections caused by bacteria and other agents no longer respond to the antibiotics and other drugs that we are using now. Due to overuse of antibiotics, it is already happening on a large scale, and healthcare professionals and policy makers worldwide are scrambling to address it,” he told this paper.
