A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated a high level of resistance from bacteria that cause life threatening bloodstream infections, such as Klebsiella pneumoniae, towards antibiotic treatment.

The report, published last Friday (December 9), gathered data from 87 countries in 2020, where it uncovered the resistance of common infections to treatment.

According to the report, there was a 50 per cent resistance rate against antibiotics used to treat bacteria that frequently caused bloodstream infections in hospitals.

Among the list of infections was Klebsiella pneumoniae, a bacteria that can cause different types of infections.

The report indicates that bacteria such as Klebsiella pneumoniae require last-resort antibiotics, such as carbapenems. But eight per cent of infections caused by Klebsiella were resistant to carbapenems, increasing the risk of death due to unmanageable infections. 

Klebsiella pneumoniae was recently the topic of conversation in Jamaica, when there was an outbreak at one of the major hospitals on the island.

Outbreak in Jamaica

In October of this year, it was reported by the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) that there was an outbreak of the bacterial infection at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital in Jamaica, resulting in the deaths of 14 babies.

According a report by the Ministry of Health, the outbreak was due to a staffing crisis at the neonatal units, equipment challenges and an overcrowding of the unit due to higher than average births being recorded.

The ministry reported that the crisis has seen been alleviated, and the findings from a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) report will be released to the public soon, pending review.

Commenting on the increased resistance to treatment, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said it was a threat to modern medicine.

“To truly understand the extent of the global threat and mount an effective public health response to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), we must scale up microbiology testing and provide quality-assured data across all countries,” stated Tedros.

The report further indicated that common bacterial infections are becoming more resistant to treatment, with 60 per cent of Neisseria gonorrhoea isolates, a sexually transmitted disease, showing resistance to ciprofloxacin, one of the most used oral antibacterials.

WHO is therefore urging that more research be done on the matter, to stop the emergence and prevent the spread of AMRs, protecting the use of treatments for generations to come.

– Send feedback to [email protected]