Five bacteria types claimed 6.8 lakh lives in India in 2019: Lancet study

Common bacterial infections were the second-leading cause of death in 2019, and were linked to one in eight deaths globally.

Five bacteria types -- E. coli, S. pneumoniae, K. pneumoniae, S. aureus and A. baumanii -- caused nearly 6.8 lakh deaths in India in 2019, according to a study published in The Lancet journal.

The analysis found that common bacterial infections were the second-leading cause of death in 2019, and were linked to one in eight deaths globally.

There were 7.7 million (77 lakh) deaths in 2019 associated with 33 common bacterial infections, with five bacteria alone connected to more than half of all deaths, the researchers said.

The deadliest bacterial pathogens and types of infection varied by location and age, they said.

In India, five bacteria -- E. coli, S. pneumoniae, K. pneumoniae, S. aureus and A. baumanii -- were found to be the deadliest, causing 6,78,846 (nearly 6.8 lakh) deaths in 2019 alone, the researchers found.

E. Coli was the most deadly pathogen, claiming 1,57,082 (1.57 lakh) lives in India in 2019, according to the study.

Globally, bacterial infections were second only to ischemic heart disease as the leading cause of death in 2019, the analysis found, highlighting the need for reducing them as a global public health priority.