Report: A new report has revealed a staggering death toll among children due to antibiotic-resistant infections, with over three million young lives lost in 2022. Many of these deaths occurred in Southeast Asia and Africa, where healthcare systems face major challenges.
Released in Austria by the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), the report highlights the growing danger of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), especially for children who are particularly susceptible to infections. The findings stress the need for immediate, coordinated global and regional strategies to tackle this escalating crisis.
According to the study, approximately 752,000 children in Southeast Asia and 659,000 in Africa died from complications linked to drug-resistant infections. An additional 1.5 million child deaths were reported in other parts of the world.
Professor Joseph Harwell of the Clinton Health Access Initiative, a co-author of the study, said the rise in resistance is largely due to the excessive and improper use of antibiotics. “When bacteria become resistant, our treatment options shrink drastically—sometimes leaving no effective alternatives,” Harwell explained.
The report notes that around two million of the three million child deaths were tied to the misuse of “Watch” and “Reserve” antibiotics. These are drugs that should be used sparingly due to their high risk of causing resistance or because they are last-resort options for treating serious infections. Despite that, their usage has spiked dramatically in Asia and Africa.
The researchers point to several underlying causes in low- and middle-income countries: overcrowded medical facilities, inadequate sanitation, and weak infection control policies. A lack of surveillance systems further complicates efforts to monitor and respond to resistance trends.
“This is not just a regional concern—it's a global emergency,” the study emphasized, urging immediate action to strengthen antibiotic stewardship, improve healthcare infrastructure, and invest in surveillance and prevention systems worldwide.
