A landmark study presented today at ESCMID Global 2025 has revealed that over 3 million children worldwide lost their lives in 2022 due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR)-related infections. 1
The study underscores the urgent need for both regional and global strategies to control paediatric AMR, particularly in high-burden areas such as South-East Asia and Africa. AMR poses a critical threat to children, who are highly vulnerable to infections. 2 Access to new antibiotic formulations is often much more limited for children because of product development delays.
The study data found that in 2022 alone, more than 752,000 children in Southeast Asia and 659,000 children in Africa died of AMR-associated complications. Many of these deaths were linked to the use of Watch antibiotics (drugs with a high risk of resistance) and Reserve antibiotics (last-resort treatments for severe, multidrug-resistant infections). 1,3
Watch and Reserve antibiotics are not intended for first-line treatment and their use should be limited only for those who need them to preserve their effectiveness and reduce the development of resistance. In contrast, Access antibiotics are those that are more widely available and used to treat common infections due to their lower potential for increasing resistance.
Between 2019 and 2021, the use of Watch antibiotics increased by 160% in Southeast Asia and 126% in Africa. During the same period, the use of Reserve antibiotics rose by 45% in Southeast Asia and 125% in Africa.
Globally, of the more than 3 million children’s deaths, 2 million were associated with the use of Watch and Reserve antibiotics.
“While the rise in use of Watch and Reserve antibiotics may be necessary in response to the concurrent rise in drug-resistant infections, the sharp rise in use of these drugs presents several serious long-term risks”, commented Professor Joseph Harwell, study co-author. “Their increased use, especially without careful oversight, elevates the risk of resistance and limits future treatment options. If bacteria develop resistance to these antibiotics, there will be few, if any, alternatives for treating multidrug-resistance infections.”
Several factors contribute to the severity of AMR in low- and middle-income countries, including overcrowded hospitals, poor sanitation, and weak infection prevention measures that facilitate the spread of resistant pathogens within healthcare settings and communities. Due to a lack of diagnostic tools and concerns over misdiagnosis, overuse and misuse of antibiotics are also widespread in these regions. Additionally, many low- and middle-income countries lack effective national surveillance and antimicrobial stewardship programmes, making it difficult to track resistance trends and establish effective treatment protocols.
“Rising resistance to Watch and Reserve antibiotics will ultimately lead to higher treatment failure,” said Professor Harwell. “Mortality rates, which are already alarmingly high, will continue to rise significantly, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where access to alternative treatments and advanced medical interventions may be limited.”
Professor Harwell furthered, “Addressing this issue requires urgent and coordinated action at both the regional and global levels. Global and national surveillance on AMR must adopt a ‘One Health’ approach, with cost-effective systems that can inform treatment guidelines and measure the impact of control interventions.”
“On a regional level, we call on policymakers to mandate hospital-based antimicrobial stewardship programmes in all paediatric healthcare facilities. Improved age classifications in surveillance data will also enhance our understanding of important differences in resistance rates across the age categories, as well as paediatric-specific resistance mechanisms. Additionally, we urge the implementation of national guidelines to ensure routine surveillance informs antibiotic use,” concluded Professor Harwell.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
A reference to ESCMID Global must be included in all coverage and/or articles associated with this study.
For more information or to arrange an expert interview, please contact the ESCMID Press Office at: communication@escmid.org or the Clinical Health Access Initiative at: sibraheem@clintonhealthaccess.org
About the study data
The study incorporated data from the Pfizer ATLAS programme provided through the Vivli platform, along with WHO’s GLASS on antibiotic use, the World Bank data on demographics, and IHME mortality data.
About Access, Watch and Reserve antibiotics 4
About the study authors:
Professor Joseph Harwell is a Senior Clinical Director at Clinton Health Access Initiative, and Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, United States.
Doctor Yanhong Jessika Hu is Honorary Senior Research Fellow at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital and Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Australia
About the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases:
The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) is the leading society for clinical microbiology and infectious diseases in Europe. ESCMID is proud to unite over 12,000 members as well as 45,000 affiliated members through 77 national and international affiliated societies. ESCMID’s mission is to champion medical progress in infection for a healthier tomorrow and plays an important role in emerging infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance education and research.
Website: www.escmid.org/
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