A new study has revealed that common antibiotics to treat infections in children and babies are no longer effective in large parts of the world, including India, due to high rates of antibiotic resistance.
The study led by researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia found many antibiotics recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) had less than 50 per cent effectiveness in treating childhood infections such as pneumonia, sepsis (bloodstream infections) and meningitis.
The findings of the study were published in The Lancet Regional Health-Southeast Asia journal. The study emphasises on the need to update the global guidelines on antibiotic use.
According to the researchers, the most seriously affected regions are in Southeast Asia and the Pacific where thousands of unnecessary deaths in children resulting from antibiotic resistance occur each year.
The WHO has declared that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity. In newborns, an estimated three million cases of sepsis occur globally each year, with up to 570,000 (5.7 lakh) deaths.
Many of these are due to a lack of effective antibiotics to treat resistant bacteria.
According to the researchers, the inability to prevent infections could also seriously compromise surgery and procedures such as chemotherapy.