Superbugs could kill millions by 2050 unless countries act

In France, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) warned that millions of people worldwide will die from superbug infections unless countries prioritize fighting the growing threat posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. According to new research, drug-resistant bacteria killed more than 33,000 people in Europe in 2015. In the report, the OECD said 2.4 million people could die from superbugs by 2050 and said the cost of treating such infections would balloon to an average of $3.5 billion a year in each country included in its analysis. The growth of infections due to antibiotic-resistant bacteria is predicted to be between four and seven times faster by 2030 than currently."Such high resistance rates will create the conditions for an enormous death toll that will be mainly borne by newborns, very young children and the elderly," the report said. The report predicts that resistance 2nd- and 3rd-line antibiotics will balloon by 70 percent by 2030. @ https://www.france24.com/en/20181107-superbugs-kill-millions-2050-unless-countries-act