WHO Issues a New Warning on Superbugs

They are defying antibiotics at a growing rate
Posted Oct 13, 2025 7:16 PM CDT
Agency Warns That Superbugs Are Outpacing Antibiotics
   (Getty/wildpixel)

The World Health Organization issued a stark warning on Monday about the rising threat of drug-resistant bacterial infections around the globe. The health agency said one in six bacterial infections confirmed by laboratories in 2023 no longer responded to standard antibiotic treatments, raising alarms about the future effectiveness of medicines that have long saved lives, reports AFP.

"Antibiotic resistance continues to rise, we're running out of treatment options and we're putting lives at risk," said Yvan J-F. Hutin, who leads the WHO's antimicrobial resistance division. The agency's latest report shows that resistance increased in over 40% of the 22 antibiotics monitored between 2019 and 2023. Of particular concern: More than 40% of E. coli infections and over half of K. pneumoniae infections worldwide are now resistant to third-generation cephalosporins, widely considered the first line of defense for these infections.

The WHO estimates that superbugs directly account for over a million deaths annually and are tied to nearly 5 million more. The spread is particularly acute in regions with weaker health systems and limited monitoring, such as Southeast Asia, the Eastern Mediterranean, and parts of Africa. In these areas, up to a third of infections are resistant to key medicines. Meanwhile, a new study in the Lancet medical journal finds that superbugs are on the rise significantly among newborns in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, per the Times of India.

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