How Australia compares in global antibiotic resistance crisis
Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections are increasing worldwide, but in Australia the threat is less serious.
A report published by the World Health Organization this week found that one in six of the bacterial infections that cause common infections in humans worldwide by 2023 will be resistant to antibiotic treatments.
The report found that life-saving antibiotics are losing effectiveness against E. coli, Salmonella and bacteria that cause urinary tract infection, meningitis and pneumonia.
Experts say the results around the world are worrying but not surprising, although the rate of resistance in Australians is lower than global averages.
“In some parts of the world, a third of infections are resistant to commonly used antibiotics, including second- and third-line treatments,” Australasian Infectious Diseases Society doctor Trent Yarwood said.
“The microbes that cause urine and some blood infections can be resistant to antibiotics in more than half of cases worldwide and more than two-thirds in some parts of Africa.
“This means simple infections that used to be treatable with tablets now require hospitalization and, in some cases, have no effective treatment at all.”
Dr Yarwood said the WHO report showed the world was interconnected and needed to work together to combat antibiotic-resistant infections.
“Everyone can do something about drug resistance; you can prevent infections by washing your hands, getting vaccinated and practicing good food safety,” he said.
“Use antibiotics only when necessary and only for the duration recommended by your doctor.”
The report estimates that in Southeast Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean, where antibiotic resistance is highest, one-third of reported infections are resistant. In Africa, one in five infections is resistant.
“Antimicrobial resistance is outpacing advances in modern medicine, threatening the health of families worldwide,” said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“We must use antibiotics responsibly and ensure everyone has access to the right medicines, quality-assured diagnostics and vaccines.
“Our future also depends on strengthening systems to prevent, diagnose and treat infections and innovating with next-generation antibiotics and rapid point-of-care molecular testing.”
University of Western Australia epidemiologist Anita Williams said WHO results were awaited.
“The findings of the Global Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance Report 2025 are concerning but not surprising,” he said.
“Fortunately, the rate of resistance in Australian children is lower than global averages.”
Ms Williams works at the Australian Children’s Research Institute and before that worked for Médecins Sans Frontières in under-resourced and conflict-affected areas.
Ms Williams found 40 per cent of bacteria causing bloodstream infections in Australian children in 2022/23 were resistant to antibiotics and one in 10 bacteria was multidrug resistant, meaning resistant to three or more antibiotics.
While 45 percent of E. coli worldwide are resistant, the rate in Australian children is 21.5 percent.
Ms Williams said Staph infections were about 13.6 per cent resistant to antibiotics in Australia, but globally the figure was 27.1 per cent.
Children are more vulnerable to antibiotic-resistant infections because their immune systems are still developing and weak.
“Although lower than those reported globally, these figures still pose a significant risk to pediatric healthcare in Australia,” he said.
“To protect our children, it is vital that we continue to improve surveillance efforts and fund epidemiological research investigating drivers of antimicrobial resistance in Australia and beyond.”
