Economic cost linked to antimicrobial resistance in the region to reach $148 billion, report estimates
Photo: iStock As many as 450,000 deaths linked with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) may have occurred in the Western Pacific Region in 2020 and 5.2 million such fatalities are projected during 2020-2030, according to a new study.
Over the same period, patients infected with pathogens resistant to antibiotics are projected to spend 172 million extra days in hospitals, the World Health Organization (WHO), which commissioned the study, found.
The AMR-related economic cost in the region was forecast to reach a cumulative total of $148 billion, which is equal to nearly 10 per cent of total health expenditure in the Western Pacific Region in 2019 ($1.68 trillion), the report Health and economic impacts of antimicrobial resistance in the Western Pacific Region, 2020–2030 published June 13, 2023 noted.
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
AMR has substantial health and economic implications. In 2019, there were an estimated 4.95 million deaths associated with bacterial AMR, including 1.27 million deaths attributable to bacterial AMR.
Additionally, according to an estimate by British economist Jim O’Neill, the world can expect to lose $60-100 trillion worth of economic output between 2014 and 2050 if antimicrobial drug resistance is not tackled.
In response to the 2015 WHO Global Action Plan on AMR as well as the Action Agenda for AMR in the Western Pacific Region that prioritise strengthening surveillance and research on AMR, the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific commissioned a modelling study.
It was conducted by the WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control at The University of Hong Kong and is the first to quantify the health and economic impacts of AMR for seven priority bacteria in the Western Pacific Region, as well as model the future spread and cost implications of AMR from 2020-2030.
The publication also highlighted that in the context of this study, AMR is referred to as ‘antibiotic resistance’ and excludes resistance to other antimicrobial agents, such as those that treat viral, fungal or parasitic infections.
The country-wise analysis within the Western Pacific Region showed the absolute number of AMR-related deaths was highest in countries with large populations – China and Vietnam.
Additionally, AMR infections were estimated to cost $46.3 billion in the 14 high-income countries and areas of the region, $95.6 billion in the 11 upper middle-income countries / areas and $5.8 billion in the 12 lower middle-income countries / areas. Absolute costs were highest in China, South Korea and Japan.
The seven bacterial pathogens considered in the study were: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli (E coli), Enterococcus faecalis, Haemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus pneumoniae.
The rationale for selecting these pathogens was their importance in human health due to the diseases they cause and populations they infect, as well as their presence in the animal sector and the environment.
Among the seven pathogens studied, MRSA and E coli were projected to result in the highest AMR-related health impacts over the next decade, each contributing to over two million deaths.
The two pathogens were also projected to have the highest AMR-related economic cost, with excess mortality and additional healthcare, each costing over $30 billion and additional days spent in hospital resulting in gross domestic product losses of an additional $3 billion for each pathogen.
Overall, MRSA and E coli accounted for over 80 per cent of the AMR-related impacts among the seven bacteria included in the study.
The report goes on to emphasise the importance of AMR surveillance at country and regional level, having strong laboratory infrastructure, prevention of infection through improved hygiene and sanitation as well as political commitments to combatting AMR.
“To fight antimicrobial resistance, we must strengthen national AMR surveillance systems, reduce inappropriate and unnecessary use of antimicrobials and work across sectors to expand research and development into new antimicrobial medicines, vaccines and diagnostic tools,” said Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Acting Regional Director for the Western Pacific, in a news release.
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