Antibiotic resistance — when bacteria change so antibiotics no longer work in people who need them to treat infections — is now a major threat to public health worldwide, according to a new report of the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO’s first global report on antibiotic resistance reveals that this serious threat is no longer a prediction for the future, it is happening right now in every region of the world and has the potential to affect anyone, of any age, in any country.
The report released on Wednesday says that resistance is occurring across many different infectious agents but the report focuses on antibiotic resistance in nine different bacteria responsible for common, serious diseases such as bloodstream infections (sepsis), diarrhoea, pneumonia, urinary tract infections and gonorrhoea.
The results are cause for high concern, documenting resistance to antibiotics, especially “last resort” antibiotics, in all regions of the world.
“Without urgent, coordinated action by many stakeholders, the world is headed for a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries which have been treatable for decades can once again kill,” says Dr Keiji Fukuda, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Health Security.
“Effective antibiotics have been one of the pillars allowing us to live longer, live healthier, and benefit from modern medicine. Unless we take significant actions to improve efforts to prevent infections and also change how we produce, prescribe and use antibiotics, the world will lose more and more of these global public health goods and the implications will be devastating.”
The available data reveal that antibiotic resistance is a burgeoning problem in WHO’s South-East Asia Region, which is home to a quarter of the world’s population.
The report shows high levels of E. coli resistance to third generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones – two important and commonly used types of antibiotic – in the Region.
Resistance to third generation cephalosporins in K. pneumoniae is also high and widespread. In some parts of the region, more than one quarter of S. aureus infections are reported to be methicillin-resistant (MRSA), meaning that treatment with standard antibiotics does not work.
“Combating drug resistance is a priority area of work for the WHO in the region,” says Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia. “We need to act now to use antibiotics rationally, ensuring their availability for future generations.”
WHO is calling attention to the need to develop new diagnostics, antibiotics and other tools to allow healthcare professionals to stay ahead of emerging resistance.
The report – which also includes information on resistance to medicines for treating other infections such as HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and influenza – provides the most comprehensive picture of drug resistance to date, incorporating data from 114 countries.
Source: UNB Connect
