New Delhi, Apr 26: Indiscriminate use of antibiotics during the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide may have worsened the “silent” spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), according to a report by the World Health Organisation on Friday.
The WHO report found that about 75 per cent of patients were treated with antibiotics “just in case” they help, even though only 8 per cent of hospitalised patients with Covid required antibiotics to fight the bacterial co-infections.
AMR is one of the top global public health and was directly responsible for about 1.27 million deaths and contributed to 4.95 million deaths worldwide in 2019.
Antibiotic use soared during the Covid-19 pandemic. Between 2020 and 2022, it increased by 83 percent in the Eastern Mediterranean and the African Regions, while the Western Pacific Region accounted for a 33 percent rise, the global health body said.
“The highest rate of antibiotic use was seen among patients with severe or critical Covid-19, with a global average of 81 per cent. In mild or moderate cases, there was a considerable variation across regions, with the highest use in the African Region (79 per cent),” the WHO report said.