Bacteria resistant to antibiotics have now spread to every part
of the world and might lead to a future where minor infections could kill, says
WHO.
WHO's report released Wednesday also found
worrying rates of resistance in other bacteria, including common causes of
pneumonia and gonorrhea.
By: Maria Cheng The Associated Press
LONDON—Bacteria resistant to antibiotics have now spread to every
part of the world and might lead to a future where minor infections could kill, according to a report published Wednesday by the World
Health Organization.
In its first global survey of the resistance problem, WHO said it
found very high rates of drug-resistant E. coli bacteria, which causes problems
including meningitis and infections of the skin, blood and the kidneys. The
agency noted there are many countries where treatment for the bug is useless in
more than half of patients.
WHO's report also found worrying rates of resistance in other
bacteria, including common causes of pneumonia and gonorrhea.
Unless there is urgent action, “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,” Dr. Keiji Fukuda, one of the
agency's assistant director-generals, warned in a release.
WHO acknowledged it couldn't assess the validity of the data
provided by countries and that many had no information on antibiotic resistance
available.
Health experts have long warned about the dangers of drug resistance,
particularly in diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and flu. In a report by
Britain's Chief Medical Officer last year, Dr. Sally Davies described
resistance as a “ticking time bomb” and said it was as big a threat as
terrorism.
In 1928, Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin
revolutionized medicine by giving doctors the first effective treatment for a
wide variety of infections. Despite the introduction of numerous other
antibiotics since then, there have been no new classes of the drugs discovered
for more than 30 years.
“We see horrendous rates of antibiotic resistance wherever we
look...including children admitted to nutritional centres in Niger and people
in our surgical and trauma units in Syria,” said Dr. Jennifer Cohn, a medical
director at Doctors Without Borders, in a statement. She said countries needed
to improve their monitoring of antibiotic resistance. “Otherwise, our actions
are just a shot in the dark.”
WHO said
people should use antibiotics only when prescribed by a doctor, that they
should complete the full prescription and never share antibiotics with others
or use leftover prescriptions.
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