The World Health Organization (WHO) is putting antibiotic resistance (AMR) back in the spotlight with fresh concerns about the growing dangers.
As recently reported by the WHO, resistance to common antibiotics is on the rise around the globe. An average rise of 5-15% of the pathogen-antibiotic combinations tracked has been reported in the past few years, resulting in an overall increase of 40% between 2018 and 2023. The WHO has now added assessment and monitoring of resistance to antibiotics among those used to treat common pathogens in urinary, gastrointestinal and bloodstream infections, including E.coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae.
The latest figures for the UK were published in November 2024, reporting that more than 66,700 serious antibiotic-resistant infections were detected in the previous year. This represented a 7% increase since 2019.
The UK Government released a 5-year action plan for 2024-2029, which has been designed to combat the issue head-on. This is the second installation in the 20-year vision set-out to tackle AMR. The core focuses are as follows:
Failure to contain AMR would have catastrophic consequences for everything, from global public health to animal health, food security, the economy and sustainable development. It affects everyone, regardless of age, ethnicity, beliefs, current health status, or location. Stats from 2019 suggest that of the 87,500 UK deaths recorded, 35,200 were associated with AMR and 7,580 were attributed to AMR directly. This demonstrates the size and urgency of the problem, as well as just how much is at stake should AMR increase further.
However, in addition to government-backed and global initiatives, there are some steps that we can all take to help reduce the danger posed by AMR.
For individuals, good health hygiene and responsible use of antibiotics – only when absolutely necessary – are crucial. Avoiding them for colds or the flu, for example, is a good way to lessen the need for antimicrobials. So too can completing the full course of antibiotics prescribed and not stopping early.
For healthcare professionals, responsible prescribing should be a priority, once again only recommending them where they are undisputedly clinically indicated. Various professional toolkits are available to download that can help to reduce antibiotic use and provide support in your everyday work. Only by working together will we win the fight against AMR.
>Since you’re here, why not read about the impact of diet drinks on liver cancer risk?
Main image credit: Unsplash
