Superbugs 10 Million 2050 - Drug resistant superbugs or infections could reportedly kill an extra 10 million people a year. Unless drastic measures are taken and the global spread is not cut short, the superbugs 10 million 2050 phenomenon could cost up to $100 trillion in economic losses by 2050, according to a British government-commissioned report.
The superbugs are currently mixed up in 700,000 deaths each year, compared with 130,000 for measles, 1.4 million for diarrheal disease and 8.2 million for cancer, the report on the superbugs 10 million 2050 occurrence.
According to the review, the trend is reportedly growing.
"The importance of effective antimicrobial drugs cannot be overplayed," the review also said.
The analysis on the superbugs 10 million 2050 happening was presented by Former Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O'Neill, who also presented that total cost of economic loss if such a thing would happen could reach up to $100tn (£63tn).
O'Neill was appointed by U.K.Prime Minister David Cameron in July to head the review on antimicrobial resistance, according to the BBC.
"This is a significant global problem, perhaps on the same dimension as climate change," said O'Neill of the superbugs 10 million 2050 phenomenon. "Trying to solve it is a bit like climate change. The cost of stopping the problem is significantly lower than the cost of not stopping the problem."
"To put that in context, the annual GDP [gross domestic product] of the UK is about $3tn, so this would be the equivalent of around 35 years without the UK contribution to the global economy," O'Neill also told the BBC.
The reduction in population and the impact on ill-health would reportedly reduce world economies by between 2% and 3.5%.
The review of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) headed by O'Neil is based on analysis by two sets of researchers, RAND and KPMG. They estimated the gravity of the impact of AMR under different settings for six common infections - three bacterial infections, plus malaria, HIV and tuberculosis, Reuters reports.
The AMR researchers that came up with the superbugs 10 million 2050 conclusion reportedly found that drug resistant E. coli, malaria and tuberculosis (TB) were the diseases to have the biggest impact.
In Europe and the United States, AMR have been causing at least 50,000 deaths per year. If left unchecked, these deaths could multiply more than 10-fold by 2050.
Antimicrobials are known to be a class of drugs that include antibiotics, antivirals, antiparasitics and antifungals.
O'Neill is well-known for his in-depth economic analysis of developing nations and their continuous and budding significance in global trade. The economist also coined the acronyms Bric (Brazil, Russia, India and China). The most recent coinage is Mint (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey).
According to O'Neill, the impact of the superbugs 10 million 2050 phenomenon would mostly be felt in the countries mentioned above.
"In Nigeria, by 2050, more than one in four deaths would be attributable to drug resistant infections, while India would see an additional two million lives lost every year," he said.
According to the review team, their analysis just represents how the potential impact of failing to tackle drug resistance is underestimated.
Among the variety of treatments that depend on antibiotics in preventing infections are joint replacements, Caesarean sections, chemotherapy and transplant surgery.
The review team also estimates that Caesarean sections are contributing 2% to the world GDP, joint replacements 0.65%, cancer drugs 0.75% while organ transplants 0.1%. The researchers based the number of lives saved, and ill-health prevented in people of working age.
The AMR review which predicted the superbugs 10 million 2050 happening proves that without effective antibiotics, the above procedures would become riskier and even impossible in most cases.
According to a warning from the World Health Organization, a post-antibiotic era, where basic healthcare becomes far more dangerous due to infection risk in routine operations, could arrive in this century unless something drastic is done.
O'Neill said his team will now be exploring actions to resolve and avert the possible superbugs causing 10 million deaths in 2050.
They would reportedly be looking at:
1. How drug use could be changed to reduce the rise of resistance
2. How to boost the development of new drugs
3. The need for coherent international action concerning drug use in humans and animals
O'Neill said the support of his coined Bric and Mint nations was vital too, noting that China would be hosting the G20 summit in 2016 and that he hoped the issue would become a focus for discussion.
"By highlighting the vast financial and human costs that unchecked drug resistance will have, this important research underlines that this is not just a medical problem, but an economic and social one too," said Dr Jeremy Farrar, the director the Wellcome Trust.
According to Bloomberg, while many companies have stopped the development anti-infection drugs for more profitable drugs for chronic illnesses such as cancer and heart disease, others are now seeing an opportunity in anti-infection drugs.
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