Research suggests the climate crisis is accelerating an increase in antibiotic resistance globally, posing a threat to human health.
As reported by The Guardian, antibiotic resistance is one of the fastest-growing threats to global health, affecting people around the world and killing more than a million people each year.
A new study revealed how climate change is linked to a rise in salmonella antibiotic resistance. Salmonella is one of the world’s most common bacterial diseases.
It shows that, between 1940 and 2023, climate change was associated with a 10% increase in salmonella antibiotic resistance genes.
It found that antibiotic resistance does not rise steadily with temperature increase, but has a complex relationship which is dependant on temperature and rainfall. It suggests that environmental changes may speed up how bacteria adapt to antibiotics.
Urgent action is needed to combat this, in addition to responsible use of antibiotics and improved disease surveillance.
>Since you’re here, why not read about the return of once rare infectious diseases?
Main image credit: Unsplash
