President Ilham Aliyev holds key meetings with Chinese industry leaders
President Ilham Aliyev held a series of strategic meetings with senior executives from leading Chinese industrial corporations in Tianjin on 31 August...
A major study warns that antibiotic-resistant superbugs could kill millions each year while shrinking the global economy by almost $2 trillion annually by 2050, a crisis driven in part by international aid cuts that undermine resistance efforts.
A U.K. government-funded report by the Center for Global Development shows that if antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is not aggressively tackled, it could slash global GDP by an estimated $1.7 trillion each year over the next 25 years, and nearly $2 trillion at peak impact.
The study highlights the potential economic fallout for major economies: China could lose $722 billion annually, the United States $296 billion, the European Union $187 billion, Japan $65.7 billion and the United Kingdom $58.6 billion by 2050. In addition, AMR-related health costs could rise by $176 billion globally, including an increase from $900 million to $3.7 billion in the U.K. and from $15.5 billion to $57 billion in the U.S.
The human toll also looks grim. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation predicts a 60% jump in AMR-related deaths by 2050, with 1.34 million deaths annually in the U.S. and 184,000 in the U.K. Resistant infections increase hospital admissions, lengthen stays, require more expensive treatments, and result in roughly double the treatment cost compared to non-resistant infections.
The report links this looming crisis to recent cuts in Official Development Assistance. The U.S. has reduced aid spending by around 80%, the U.K. has cut its aid from 0.5% to 0.3% of gross national income, and several E.U. countries have made similar reductions. This includes the U.K.’s axing of the Fleming Fund, which supports AMR surveillance in low- and middle-income countries.
Lead author Anthony McDonnell warned that without sustained funding for AMR programs, resistance rates could rise in line with the most pessimistic scenario. He said this would endanger global public health and economic stability, including in G7 countries.
However, there is potential for a positive outcome. The study estimates that if countries increase investment in AMR programs, including support for the development of new antibiotics and quality treatment access, the U.S. economy could grow by $156 billion annually by 2050 and the U.K. by $12 billion.
Dr. Mohsen Naghavi of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation said, "Today the threat of AMR is increasing, and without immediate action from all stakeholders the medicines we have access to now could stop working, potentially causing a simple infection to become deadly."
He emphasized that governments must prioritize the development of new drugs, improve public understanding that antibiotics do not treat viruses, and protect AMR programs from aid reductions.
A U.K. government spokesperson said the country’s 10-year health plan recognizes AMR as a major threat. It includes commitments to tackle its spread through new vaccines, antibiotic reduction in agriculture, and global cooperation.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
Zambia has formalised a strategic partnership with the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) to bolster domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity, the Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI) announced on Friday.
Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome was airlifted to hospital in Toulon after suffering a training crash which left him with broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a back fracture, his team Israel-Premier Tech said on Thursday (August 28).
Bulgaria reported outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza on three farms in the southern part of the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Monday, as Europe faces a seasonal upturn in the deadly disease.
Africa has unveiled a continental emergency preparedness and response plan to tackle cholera from September 2025 to February 2026.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Sunday he had undergone a full medical exam for the first time in his life and was found to be in good health.
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