Without Action, Drug-Resistant “Superbugs” Will Kill Millions in Europe
A report also concludes that an investment of $2 per person per year could forestall that fate.
Nov 8, 2018
Ashley P. Taylor
Antibiotic-resistant infections could kill 2.4 million people in Europe, North America, and Australia by 2050 without further action to combat the infections, according to a report released yesterday (November 7) by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. But the report also says that short-term investments by governments could push back against diseases and save money in the long run.
“Drug-resistant superbugs are on the rise worldwide and represent a fundamental threat to global health and development. This report provides yet further evidence that investing to tackle the problem now will save lives and deliver big payoffs in the future,” Tim Jinks, head of the Wellcome Trust’s drug-resistant infections priority program, tells The Guardian.
Among the 36 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), resistance to second- and third-line antibiotics—the most advanced drugs available to treat infections after initial rounds fail—is expected to be 70 percent higher in 2030 than it was in 2005, according to a press release.
The report suggests that to combat the superbug rise, governments use tactics such as promoting hygiene practices, such as hand washing, and ending over-prescribing of antibiotics. For $2 per person per year, three out of four deaths from superbugs could be averted, according to the release.
“Investing $2 per person per year in a comprehensive package encompassing public health measures would avoid about 47,000 deaths per year in OECD countries,” Michele Cecchini of the OECD’s health division tells CNBC. “The public health package could pay for itself within just one year and end up by saving $4.8 billion of dollars per year in OECD countries.”
I am very sorry but I cannot allow that comment to stand uncorrected.
The farming community within the UK is working with large animal vets and the scientific community to reduce and replace antibiotics nfuonline.com/sectors/anima...
The UK livestock industry has been reducing antibiotic usage over the last few years - see link farmantibiotics.org/science... please click to see graph which quotes Uk total antibiotic usage 44% livestock/poultry and companion animals and 56% human.
There has been a determined effort to reduce antibiotic usage and especially the 'high priority' critically impotant a/b's within the UK ruma.org.uk/
The 'high priority' critically important antibiotics are now only available from the veterinary practice if it is the only drug that will work after lab tests etc. which in effect means that very few 'high priority' a/b's will be used going forward. assurance.redtractor.org.uk...
In my view the more worrying use of antibiotics are in countries where antibiotics can be freely bought with very few checks on usage especially in the treatment of TB (long term a/b's for 6/12 months and some STI's which are causing worrying antibiotic resistance.
If antibiotics are used, the emphasis is the same as in human medicine, that the antibiotics must be used as specified and for the correct length of time to reduce antibiotic resistance.
It’s indeed disturbing. One of the reasons I became vegetarian was to avoid antibiotics & growth hormones in my food chain as much as possible. Agrichemical drug use since WWII has led to a lot of problems that will only worsen. I’m alarmed by the mention of post Brexit food from the US where animal welfare & farming pharmaceutical & chemical use is worse than Europe.
Yes so am I it's a rally call for us to stop it if it happens. My eldest sister was at Greenham Common so I come from a family who enjoys a good cause.
The current government are more concerned with profit than public health, so I hope this doesn’t happen. There’s enough issues caused by eating bad “food”.
Your sister is brave! Please say thank you to her, they suffered a lot for a good cause. Pity the Greenham Common women didn’t get more public support.
Since you can only get antibiotics on prescription, why not stop doctors from prescribing them in most cases. I've noticed an anti antibiotic advert on TV, but what's the point? Tell the doctors, not the patients.
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