Superbugs kill more in India than globally, mortality rate is 13%

NEW DELHI: A first-of-its-kind study conducted on 4,000 patients admitted to 10 hospitals across India, including four from the capital, shows mortality rates owing to drug-resistant bacteria in the country are more than twice compared to that in high-income countries.

According to the study, conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and The Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP) among others, the overall mortality rate due to drug resistant bacteria in India was 13% in 2015. Most of the patients who died were either old or admitted to ICUs when they were diagnosed with the infection. The corresponding figure in advance nations ranged between 2% and 7%.