The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned about the spread of superbugs that are resistant to drugs. The WHO said researchers tested many bugs in laboratories. The researchers said 1 in 6 (around 17 per cent) of the bugs they tested was drug-resistant. The antibiotics did not kill the bacteria. Many of the drugs have been life-saving for many years. This could bring new risks to our health. Cuts and common infections could be deadly in the future because the antibiotics will no longer kill bacteria. The WHO said: "These findings are deeply concerning." It added: "As antibiotic resistance continues to rise…we're putting lives at risk."

The WHO conducted a large study on superbugs. It looked at data from over 100 countries. Drug resistance is highest in Southeast Asian and Eastern Mediterranean countries. There, 1 in 3 reported infections was resistant. In Africa, 1 in 5 infections was resistant. The study found that bugs were becoming drug-resistant faster than researchers could create new drugs. More and more bugs are becoming resistant to modern medicines. The WHO said between 2018 and 2023, drug resistance increased in over 40 per cent of the bacteria it tested. An additional worry is that there is not enough testing being done to create new, effective drugs. The WHO said this will be a big "future threat".