Forget the COVID, HIV or malaria: antibiotic resistance is a real threat long-term for human health worldwide. Antibiotic resistance occurs when fungi, bacteria, parasites and viruses resist the onslaught of the drugs that are usually used to combat them; and when medicine is not effective in fighting an infection, the result can be death.
In 2019 alone, Nearly 1.3 million people died worldwide from antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections., more than the number of people who died of HIV or malaria. It is more: in that same year 4.95 million deaths in the world were associated with this resistance.
The main resistant pathogens
Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle analyzed 471 million records of people, as well as the resistance of 23 pathogens and 88 combinations of pathogens and drugs in 204 countries and territories. They found that there are six major drug-resistant pathogens that have caused deadly infections:
1 And coli, which usually causes diarrhea, vomiting and colic, and which in 2019 caused the majority of deaths related to drug resistance.
2 S aureus, the most dangerous of the staphylococci, which can cause infections, pneumonia, or toxic shock syndrome.
3 K pneumoniae, a bacterium related to urinary tract infections, pneumonia and even sepsis.
4 S pneumoniae, also known as pneumococcus and can cause sinusitis, meningitis, peritonitis or pneumonia.
5 A baumannii, a coccobacillus that causes urinary tract and lower respiratory tract infections.
6 P aeruginosa, a bacterium that frequently causes pneumonia.
What can be done against this threat
The research, published in The Lancet, points out that to face the challenge of antibiotic resistant infections it is necessary to take several actions, among them prevent and control infections through vaccination, hygiene and sanitation of drinking water, especially in regions of the planet with less access to health services.
In addition, it is necessary avoid taking antibiotics when they are not needed to treat certain diseases and reduce their use in agriculture and livestock.
Read more:
+ The antibiotic-resistant infection that poses a global threat and primarily affects New York
+ Appendicitis: Patients would not need to have their appendix removed thanks to antibiotics
+ Hantavirus, the other health threat that has emerged in China?
+ There are bacteria resistant to antibiotics in dog food: how to prevent them from affecting you
eldiariony.com
Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.