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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could shorten global life expectancy by 1.8 years by 2035, as Thailand records one drug-resistant infection death every 15 minutes
As the world celebrates medical breakthroughs that could one day extend human life, drug-resistant infections are quietly moving in the opposite direction. It threatens to shorten life expectancy and weaken health systems around the world.
Read more: Drug-resistant infections kill 38,000 Thais a yearAntimicrobial resistance (AMR), commonly described as drug resistance, occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites evolve in ways that make medicines less effective.
In the case of antibiotics, this means infections that were once easy to treat can become harder, more expensive and sometimes impossible to cure.
Over the past century, antibiotics have played a major role in extending average human life expectancy by around 23 years.
They have transformed many once-deadly infections into treatable illnesses and made modern medicine safer, including major surgery and cancer treatment.
But experts warn that this medical foundation is now under growing strain.