PETALING JAYA: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is projected to claim more than 80,000 lives between 2020 and 2030, could lead to skyrocketing healthcare costs.
Despite the gloomy projection, experts have assured the public that there are ways to reduce the chances of AMR.
Sadequr Rahman, a professor of plant genomics at Monash University Malaysia, estimated that RM12bil a year may be needed to treat a population of 30 million people.
His calculation was based on the World Bank’s estimate that AMR could result in US$1 trillion in additional healthcare costs by 2050 and US$1 trillion to US$3.4 trillion in gross domestic product losses per year by 2030.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
(Antimicrobials, including antibiotics, are medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants.)
Microorganisms that develop AMR have been called “superbugs”.
To reduce the chances of AMR, Prof Sadequr said doctors should only prescribe antibiotics when needed and make sure the patient completes the whole course.
At the national level, there must be compliance with government regulations on the use of antibiotics in the poultry, livestock and aquaculture industries and constant monitoring.
He said there must be continuous research at the global level to develop ways of fighting infections, such as using viruses that kill bacteria.
Additionally, he suggested that rather than relying on traditional antibiotics, efforts should focus on looking for new antibiotics that the bacteria are not used to and reserving these new options as a last resort to save lives.
Dr Sasheela Ponnampalavanar, an infectious disease professor at University Malaya Medical Centre, noted that as infections become harder to treat, patients may require longer hospital stays, more intensive care, and the use of a newer and broader spectrum of antibiotics, which are often much more expensive and many are not so accessible due to this.
In Malaysia, based on the WPRO (WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific) report, the projected cumulative AMR-related economic cost from 2020 to 2030 is US$2.5bil if no action is taken.
For the individual healthcare system, AMR could mean spending millions on prolonged hospitalisation, advanced treatment and outbreaks of untreatable infections.
“This financial strain will affect patients, hospitals and governments alike, emphasising the urgent need for prevention, education and research to combat AMR effectively,” she added.
Dr Sasheela said preventing deaths caused by AMR would require the One Health approach that sees action at multiple levels, from individual and healthcare to global.
She said using antibiotics responsibly, strengthening infection prevention through measures such as hand washing, maintaining good hygiene, ensuring clean environments in hospitals, and improving diagnostics can help prevent AMR.
“Vaccines can prevent bacterial and viral infections, reducing the need for antibiotics and preventing resistance from developing. Be updated with your vaccines such as for flu, pneumococcal and others,” she said.
Dr Sasheela also said the misuse of antibiotics in agriculture and animals must be curbed.
“Antibiotics are often overused in farming to promote animal growth or prevent infections in healthy animals. Regulating and reducing this misuse is crucial under the One Health framework, as resistant bacteria can pass from animals to humans through food or the environment,” she said.“Dispose of unused antibiotics properly. Do not throw them into the general waste or environment,” she added.
Dr Tengku Zetty Maztura Tengku Jamaluddin, medical lecturer and head of the Infection Control Unit at Universiti Putra Malaysia, said the primary causes of AMR in Malaysia include the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in both human medicine, animal husbandry and agriculture.
“Inappropriate prescribing practices, self-medication and the use of antibiotics in livestock contribute to the emergence of resistant strains of bacteria,” she said.
As for treatment, Dr Tengku Zetty said managing infections caused by resistant organisms requires innovative approaches.
“Current strategies include the use of last-resort antibiotics, combination therapies and the development of novel antimicrobial agents that target resistant bacteria through different mechanisms,” she said.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said on Nov 19 that some 87,000 Malaysians would die due to AMR between 2020 and 2030, out of a population of 33 million.
He said this forecast was made by the WHO and that steps need to be taken to address this threat.
