Medical experts have warned that antibiotic resistance is growing so enormously that it may become very difficult to carry out major surgeries, organ transplantation, and cancer chemotherapy in the near future.
In an editorial in the British Medical Journal, Professor Otto Cars and colleagues call for a concerted global response to address rising rates of bacterial resistance caused by the use and abuse of antibiotics.
Superbug Resistance Increased by Cough and Cold Antibiotics
The British Government's Health Protection Agency is urging people not to seek antibiotic treatment for cough and cold problems that are caused by viruses, warning that this may increasingly
The British Government's Health Protection Agency is urging people not to seek antibiotic treatment for cough and cold problems that are caused by viruses, warning that this may increasingly
According to them, antibiotics' use diminishes their ability to be used in the future, and such medications cannot be considered to be a renewable source.
They point out that existing antibiotics are losing their effect at an alarming pace, while the development of new antibiotics is declining.
Resistance to Antibiotics Found Naturally in Arctic Birds
Arctic birds were carriers of antibiotics-resistant bacteria, signifying that resistance to antibiotics has spread into nature, which can be dangerous for future health care.
Arctic birds were carriers of antibiotics-resistant bacteria, signifying that resistance to antibiotics has spread into nature, which can be dangerous for future health care.
Despite the World Health Organisation calling for a massive effort to address the problem of antimicrobial resistance to prevent the "health catastrophe of tomorrow" as far back as 2000, say the authors, very little has been done to address the problem.
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Prescribing of Antibiotics to Children Still at a Level to Cause Drug Resistance, Warn Experts
Regular prescribing of antibiotics to children in the community is sufficient to sustain a high level of antibiotic resistance
Regular prescribing of antibiotics to children in the community is sufficient to sustain a high level of antibiotic resistance
This may explain why there has been little response to this public health threat from politicians, public health workers, and consumers, they suggest.
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Scientists Find New Way to Kill Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found a way to put bacteria on birth control, the technique that may help stop the spread of drug-resistant microbes.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found a way to put bacteria on birth control, the technique that may help stop the spread of drug-resistant microbes.
They believe that priority must be given to the most urgently needed antibiotics, and incentives given for developing antibacterials with new mechanisms of action.
"(In addition) the use of new antibiotics must be safeguarded by regulations and practices that ensure rational use, to avoid repeating the mistakes we have made by overusing the old ones", they say.
They also recommend educating people to understand that their choice to use an antibiotic will affect the possibility of effectively treating bacterial infections in other people.
However, the authors say that the ultimate responsibility for coordination and resources rests with national governments, WHO and other international stakeholders.
Not only is there an urgent need for up-to-date information on the level of antibiotic resistance, but also for evidence of effective interventions for the prevention and control of antibiotic resistance at national and local levels, while more focus is needed on infectious diseases, they conclude.
Source-ANI
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