Almost 40 million people may die by the year 2050 due to the resistance of pathogenic bacteria to antibiotics, reports The Guardian.

“About a million people die every year because of the spread of microbial resistance, and that figure will rise over the next 25 years,” said Sally Davies, a former chief medical officer for England. “It is really scary.”

Estimates suggest that by 2050, death rates from  antimicrobial resistance will have doubled, with figures indicating almost 40 million people will lose their lives to superbugs over the next 25 years. The reason is the widespread use of antibiotics, including in the food industry, as a result of which more and more bacteria mutate and develop resistance to antibiotics.