Drug-resistant infections could kill 10 million people by 2050

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last updated 8 January 2015

The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance has released a new report, commissioned by British Prime Minister David Cameron, that reveals the "crisis" of drug-resistant superbugs.

The infections could lead to as many as 10 million deaths by 2050 and cost roughly $100 trillion. The threat is most dire in the developing world; four million people could die in Africa and 4.7 million in Asia. While antimicrobial resistant infections already kill 50,000 people in the U.S. and Europe every year, the report warns that the infections could eventually be more deadly than cancer.

The report's creators will issue a new set of public health recommendations by 2016. "It would be unforgivable if the great progress made in combating infectious diseases could be threatened by the lack of new drugs that are within reach, or for lack of common sense investment in infrastructure that keeps us safe from avoidable infections," the report notes.