Nigeria: Drug-Resistant Bacterial Infections Kill 1m People Annually - WHO

What the report says

The World Health Organisation said drug-resistant bacterial infections are causing about one million deaths worldwide each year, according to a Premium Times report distributed by AllAfrica. The warning came during a virtual media briefing linked to an exhibition at the European Parliament focused on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and its impact on people.

Jean-Pierre Nyemazi, acting director of WHO’s AMR department, used the event to argue that AMR should be treated as a major public-health emergency rather than a hidden threat. He said prevention is the top priority and pointed to vaccination, infection prevention and control, water and sanitation, and better animal husbandry as practical steps that can reduce the spread of resistant infections. He also highlighted surveillance, responsible antimicrobial use, access to quality medicines and diagnostics, and efforts to reduce environmental contamination.

The report said WHO is promoting a One Health approach, which links human, animal, plant and environmental health. Nyemazi also noted that WHO member states approved an updated 10-year Global Action Plan on AMR in May, developed with the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the UN Environment Programme and the World Organisation for Animal Health. The plan places greater emphasis on prevention, governance, behaviour change and measurable targets.

The article also quoted a European Parliament member who warned that excessive antibiotic use in food-producing animals remains a concern, and an AMR survivor who described the personal and financial cost of delayed diagnosis. The broader significance is that AMR can weaken routine medical care and increase the risk that common infections become harder to treat.