Antibiotic resistance serious threat to global health: WHO

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.