South Africa is facing a critical public health crisis as antibiotic resistance increasingly undermines life-saving treatments, particularly for vulnerable infants. Experts say that antibiotic-resistant infections are now the leading cause of neonatal mortality in the country. This is especially true among premature babies who are prone to hospital-acquired infections. Antibiotic resistance claims lives needlessly, highlighting the severity of the crisis.
Ineffective treatment options
Professor James Nuttall of Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital (RCWMCH) notes that many infants develop infections that do not respond to initial treatments. This complicates care and often results in untreated bacterial infections. Professor Shabir Madhi of Wits Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS VIDA) confirms that common antibiotics are becoming ineffective against resistant strains. These include strains like Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii, which are endemic in some facilities. These ineffective treatments underscore how antibiotic resistance claims lives.
Alarming research findings
Research from Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital reveals that infections contribute to 58% of neonatal deaths. Multidrug-resistant organisms cause the majority of these. Experts like Professor Angela Dramowski argue that we underestimate the true scale of this crisis. Many outbreak cases go unreported. Consequently, antibiotic resistance claims lives silently in many cases.
Urgent need for action
There is a pressing need for action, including strengthening infection control programmes and improving surveillance of resistant infections. Promoting responsible antibiotic use is also crucial. However, South Africa lacks a funded national strategy to combat antimicrobial resistance. Without investment in effective measures, the preventable deaths of vulnerable infants are likely to rise. Urgent action is needed because antibiotic resistance claims lives and could impact future generations.