Antibiotics Keeping Sick Children Alive Are Losing Their Power, Study Finds
Summary
A global study shows that bacteria causing serious infections in children are becoming more resistant to antibiotics, making treatments less effective. This resistance is growing especially fast in very young children, those in intensive care, and children in poorer countries.Key Facts
- The study analyzed over 106,000 bacterial samples from children in 82 countries between 2004 and 2022.
- Antibiotic resistance means bacteria no longer respond well to drugs meant to kill them.
- Resistance has increased steadily over the past 20 years, making infections harder to treat.
- Babies, children in intensive care, and those in low-resource settings are most affected.
- Resistance is growing not only to common antibiotics but also to last-resort drugs.
- The World Health Organization groups antibiotics into "Access" (first choice), "Watch" (use carefully), and "Reserve" (last option).
- Gram-negative bacteria, which cause serious infections like sepsis and pneumonia, drive much of the resistance increase.
- Without action, resistance to key antibiotics is predicted to rise through 2035, potentially limiting treatment options for children.
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