The growing problem of antibiotic resistant infections

Society faces a rising tide of new drug-resistant strains of infectious bacteria that are already difficult to treat.

The number of bacteria that are developing resistance to the antibiotics that we use to treat infections at the current time is increasing rapidly.

Unfortunately, we are also facing a significant wait of at least another decade or even longer, before any new antibiotics become available to treat patients with the worst superbugs.

The development of new vaccines to prevent infections and other alternative treatments to combat infectious diseases is likely to take even longer to develop.

What is this going to mean in practice?

Well if we do not take action now to try and combat the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance, then the likely outcome is truly frightening.

We are facing a future where annually, on a global scale, more than 10 million people will be dying of antibiotic resistant infection.

Indeed, at least 700,000 people die every year already from drug- resistant infections.

This will have a huge impact on our society. Infectious diseases will once again become the leading cause of death on the worldwide stage.