Hong Kong Hospital Authority to Deploy AI in Battle Against Rising Superbugs
Summary:
In response to the significant rise in two superbugs, vancomycin-resistant enterococci and Candida auris, the Hong Kong Hospital Authority (HKKA) is planning to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to combat these drug-resistant organisms. Recent spikes in superbug prevalence are attributed to resource redistribution during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pilot AI project set to launch in January 2024 will analyze clinical data to determine the need for antibiotic prescriptions, aiming to combat increasing antibiotic resistance.
Due to a considerable increase in two multidrug-resistant microbial organisms, vancomycin-resistant enterococci and Candida auris, the Hong Kong Hospital Authority (HKKA) has resolved to employ artificial intelligence (AI) in the fight against these superbugs. As the South China Morning Post stated on November 24, citing HKKA, the ascendancy of these superbugs in Hong Kong was catalyzed by the reallocation of resources, focused on battling the COVID-19 pandemic during the previous three years. Dr. Raymond Lai, the infection control head of the authority, explained to press representatives how the substantial allotment of isolation corridors to those with COVID-19 resulted in the lack of room for individuals infected with the multidrug-resistant bugs. Dr. Lai also made it clear that the COVID-19 pandemic increased prescriptions of wide-ranging antibiotics triggering antibiotic resistance in these superbugs. According to HKKA data, vancomycin-resistant enterococci saw a substantial increase in antibiotic resistance rate, growing from 0.22% in 2021 to 1.2% by 2023. The patient count for these organisms shot up from approximately 40 in 2021 to roughly 140 by the end of September 2023. Moreover, Candida auris, first found in Hong Kong in 2019, saw a surge in carriers from almost 200 in 2020 to over 300 by the end of October 2023. Dr. Lai warned that nearly 10% of carriers of this fungus could develop invasive infections, with mortality rates varying from 53% to 83.3%. To address this issue, HKKA plans to implement an AI pilot project in January 2024 at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin and the Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung. This AI system will scrutinize clinical data to determine the need for antibiotic prescriptions. Initially focused on one widely used antibiotic, the system will gradually broaden its scope to include eight additional types of antibiotics across 17 public hospitals. It's worth noting that this is not the first time AI has been deployed to combat antibiotic resistance. In May 2023, researchers from MIT and McMaster University used AI to discover a new antibiotic potent against Acinetobacter baumannii, a bacteria responsible for numerous drug-resistant infections.
Published At
11/24/2023 9:38:50 AM
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