Report: Superbugs could become a worldwide crisis

A British report from the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance predicts that unchecked, superbugs could cause 10 million deaths per year and cost $100 trillion by 2050. Currently, superbugs cause approximately 50,000 deaths in the United States and Europe each year.

The report examines the impact of antimicrobial resistance using different scenarios for three bacterial infections, malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis. At a London press conference, lead researcher Jim O’Neill said the $100 trillion figure could be too conservative, Reuters reports. More reports are planned, and the researchers will release a plan to speed up the development of new antimicrobial drugs.

Read the report here.