Hong Kong Hospitals Harness AI to Tackle Superbug Surge

The Hospital Authority of Hong Kong intends to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to combat the significant increase in two superbugs: vancomycin-resistant enterococci and Candida auris.

The rise in the incidence of multidrug-resistant organisms, commonly referred to as superbugs, on the island can be attributed to the reallocation of resources that were previously allocated towards addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, as reported by the South China Morning Post on November 24th, citing an authoritative source.

The chief infection control officer of the authority, Dr. Raymond Lai, stated to the media. Antibiotic resistance development among superbugs was also substantially accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic-induced surge in broad-spectrum antibiotic prescriptions.

According to the reliable source, the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci increased antibiotic resistance from 0.22% in 2021 to 1.2% in 2023.

From less than forty in 2021 to approximately 140 by late September 2023, the number of patients harboring these microorganisms rose substantially.

Candida auris carriers have increased since their discovery in Hong Kong in 2019; they will surpass 300 by October 31, 2023, up from nearly 200 in 2020.

10% of individuals harboring this fungus, according to Lai, are at risk of developing invasive infections, which pose a mortality risk of 83.3% to 53%.

The Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin and the Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung will conduct an AI pilot program in January 2024 as a measure to combat the issue.

To ascertain the need for antibiotic prescriptions, the AI will undergo an analysis of clinical data. Eight additional types and seventeen public institutions will be added to the initiative, which will initially target a single popular antibiotic.

Antibiotic resistance has been addressed with AI on multiple occasions in the past.

Acinetobacter baumannii, a bacteria accountable for numerous drug-resistant infections, was identified as a potential target of a novel antibiotic by MASTER University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers with the assistance of AI in May 2023.