UK Study - By 2050, Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Will Kill More People Per Year Than Cancer

[hatrack]

Headlines about antibiotic resistance – the increase in so-called "superbugs" – have been persistent in 2016. The issue of infection-causing bacteria becoming increasingly resistant to the drugs used to fight them poses a pressing risk to public health worldwide, and according to a 2014 report from the World Health Organization, "threatens the achievements of modern medicine."

The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, commissioned by the U.K. government, estimated that "by 2050, 10 million lives a year and a cumulative $100 trillion of economic output are at risk due to the rise of drug resistant infections." For perspective, cancer currently kills 8.2 million people annually.

In September of this year, the United Nations agreed on a declaration to fight antibiotic resistance. This was only the fourth time in the organisation's 71-year history that a health issue has been treated with such gravity, putting antibiotic resistance on par with HIV and ebola.

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The overprescription of antibiotics is one cause of the problem, with Gardam saying that it is "becoming the norm to use last line drugs" in treating bacterial infections, and that "just in case" prescriptions should be handled with care. The U.S.-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that half of antibiotic use in humans is unnecessary. But, other contributing factors well integrated into daily life are also to blame. Gardam also criticized antibacterial soap and toothpaste, particularly prevalent in North America. Deeming such products unnecessary, Gardam warned that "your mouth is not meant to be a sterile zone." He also stressed the importance of "not messing around with the natural flora of the body," as such consumer products are wont to do.

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http://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/28/antibiotic-resistance-the-story-that-wont-go-away.html

[still_one]

1. The uninhibited use of antibiotics in farm animals is a huge problem