Africa will be hardest hit region of anti-microbial resistance, warns report

Low income countries are likely to suffer the greatest loss of population and economic output if anti-microbial resistance (AMR) continues to spread unchecked, according to a KPMG report.

The report, commissioned by the independent Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, established by the UK Prime Minister in the summer and chaired by economist Jim O’Neill, aims to quantify some of the consequences of higher AMR levels by looking at the impact different AMR scenarios could have on the economies of 156 countries by 2050.

The hardest hit region is projected to be Africa, with a worst case scenario predicting a fall in GDP of $2.9 trillion in 2050, which represents 20% of the region’s total economic output.