Overview
- WHO lists antimicrobial resistance among the top global health threats, with about 1.27 million deaths yearly today and projections of up to 10 million annually by 2050 if trends continue.
- Misuse remains a key driver as specialists cite a roughly 75% surge in antibiotic use during the pandemic, health authorities warn against self‑medication and stopping treatments early, and about 73% of antibiotics are used in livestock.
- Spain reports progress under PRAN with human antibiotic use down 17% and animal use down 61% since 2014, yet it still ranks seventh in the EU for consumption, and pediatric experts stress no antibiotics for viral illnesses or without a prescription.
- Clinical harms are mounting, with Mexico reporting longer hospital stays, higher costs and many amputations linked to resistant infections, and the rise of extensively drug‑resistant typhoid highlighting shrinking oral treatment options.
- Clinicians and industry are promoting non‑antibiotic wound dressings such as DACC/Cutimed Sorbact that physically bind microbes, with company representatives citing use in 65 countries and studies reporting bacterial load reductions without fostering resistance.