Superbugs (antibiotic-resistant bacteria) could increase global deaths by 60% by 2050, with 1.34 million people in the US and 184,000 in the UK alone predicted to die each year, according to a study.
Superbugs may cost $1.7 trillion a year in GDP worldwide, due in part to an expected increase in hospital admissions, leading to longer and more intensive hospital stays, more expensive treatments and more complex care.
In the best case scenario, by 2050, GDP losses in China could reach just under $722 billion per year, the US $295.7 billion, the EU $187 billion, Japan $65.7 billion and the UK $58.6 billion.
Superbugs have developed defenses against antibiotics because of people overusing them
Higher rates of resistant microbes would also shrink the UK, EU and US workforces by 0.8%, 0.6% and 0.4% respectively, according to the study.At the same time countries are cutting billions in anti-superbug programmes.
But if countries invested more in tackling superbugs – increasing access to new antibiotics and high-quality treatment for these infections – the US economy would grow by $156.2 billion a year and the UK by $12 billion by 2050.
