If the uncontrolled increase in this situation continues, up to 10 million deaths could be recorded globally by 2050, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warned on the occasion of World Awareness Week on antimicrobial resistance. (RAM), which concludes this Friday.

In recent years, the resistance of several pathogens to antibiotics (among other drugs) was noticed by scientists, who mentioned among the factors of this phenomenon: pollution and climate change, influenza, dengue, non-communicable pathologies, fragile environments, Ebola, vaccines and HIV.

AMR occurs when microorganisms (bacteria, viruses and fungi) undergo changes and stop responding to certain medications, making it difficult to treat various diseases.

Furthermore, it is a problem on a planetary scale since, like medicine, bacteria evolve and gain strength in the face of new medications to which they were originally vulnerable.

Helicobacter pylori, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella are some of the microorganisms with the highest levels of resistance to various drugs, which puts the health of the population at risk.

The director of Medical and Scientific Affairs of Anti-infectives of the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer Latin America, Rafael Valdez, pointed out that antimicrobial medications are essential to protect people’s health, but their excessive or inappropriate use endangers their effectiveness.

He assured that the emergence and expansion of new resistant microorganisms, both in the region and in the world, threatens the capabilities of health systems to deal with common infections and can generate prolonged illnesses, disability and even death.

Valdez specified that the development of antibiotics, antivirals and antimalaria are some of the greatest successes of modern medicine, and considered that the effectiveness of these medications is currently decreasing.

ef/npg/crc