Unraveling Antimicrobial Resistance in Libya: Challenges and Strategic Interventions

Deaths from antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Libya in 2024 accounted for 9.7% of all deaths. A recent systematic review quantifies this national burden and underscores urgent clinical consequences.

Long-term surveillance shows a rising national trend in resistance across multiple pathogen–drug pairs, but reporting remains uneven across regions and facility types, producing geographic and institutional blind spots.

The most concerning organisms are carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and third-generation cephalosporin–resistant Enterobacterales. These pathogens are associated with higher morbidity and mortality and few effective treatment options.

Care often depends on scarce last-line agents and requires susceptibility-guided therapy, frequently using combination strategies. Targeted interventions are therefore urgently needed to expand effective treatment and diagnostics.

Key Takeaways:

• AMR caused an estimated 2,183 deaths in 2024, representing 9.7% of national deaths and continuing a sustained upward trend.
• Carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii and third-generation cephalosporin–resistant Enterobacterales present the greatest clinical risk; local treatment options are limited and require susceptibility-guided selection.
• Expand representative surveillance, operationalize stewardship teams, and scale rapid diagnostics so empiric prescribing aligns with local susceptibility data.