More than three million children worldwide lost their lives in 2022 due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR)-related infections, a new landmark study has revealed.
The study, presented today at ‘ESCMID Global 2025’ event in Vienna, Austria, underscores the urgent need for both regional and global strategies to control paediatric AMR, particularly in high-burden areas such as South-East Asia and Africa.
AMR poses a critical threat to children, who are highly vulnerable to infections. Access to new antibiotic formulations is often much more limited for children because of product development delays.
The study data found that in 2022 alone, more than 752,000 children in Southeast Asia and 659,000 children in Africa died of AMR-associated complications.
Many of these deaths were linked to the use of Watch antibiotics (drugs with a high risk of resistance) and Reserve antibiotics (last-resort treatments for severe, multidrug-resistant infections).
According to researchers, Watch and Reserve antibiotics are not intended for first-line treatment and their use should be limited only for those who need them to preserve their effectiveness and reduce the development of resistance.
In contrast, Access antibiotics are those that are more widely available and used to treat common infections due to their lower potential for increasing resistance.
Between 2019 and 2021, the use of Watch antibiotics increased by 160 per cent in Southeast Asia and 126 per cent in Africa. During the same period, the use of Reserve antibiotics rose by 45 per cent in Southeast Asia and 125 per cent in Africa.
Globally, of the more than 3 million children’s deaths, 2 million were associated with the use of Watch and Reserve antibiotics
“While the rise in use of Watch and Reserve antibiotics may be necessary in response to the concurrent rise in drug-resistant infections, the sharp rise in use of these drugs presents several serious long-term risks”, commented Professor Joseph Harwell, study co-author.
“Their increased use, especially without careful oversight, elevates the risk of resistance and limits future treatment options. If bacteria develop resistance to these antibiotics, there will be few, if any, alternatives for treating multidrug-resistance infections, Harwell noted.
Several factors contribute to the severity of AMR in low- and middle-income countries, including overcrowded hospitals, poor sanitation, and weak infection prevention measures that facilitate the spread of resistant pathogens within healthcare settings and communities.
Additionally, many low- and middle-income countries lack effective national surveillance and antimicrobial stewardship programmes, making it difficult to track resistance trends and establish effective treatment protocols.
“Rising resistance to Watch and Reserve antibiotics will ultimately lead to higher treatment failure,” said Professor Harwell, adding that addressing this issue requires urgent and coordinated action at both the regional and global levels.
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