Introduction to the Resistance Crisis

So the antibiotic resistance crisis– this has been headline news over the past four or five years. And I’m sure that this won’t have passed you all by. The papers are reporting that resistance could bring an end to the antibiotic era. And that people have suggested the world is entering an antibiotic crisis– which will, for instance, make routine operations highly dangerous and lead to minor infections becoming potentially fatal. The WHO have reported several times– this report showed that antibiotic resistance is a worldwide problem. All regions of the world having high levels of antibiotic resistance. The WHO showed the burden of antibiotic resistance and summarised it in some areas.

Of course, there isn’t data for all areas of the world, but already there are significant burden of resistance. And the series of O’Neill reports have highlighted antibiotic resistance. And the estimate is that by 2050– that deaths from antibiotic resistance will be approximately equivalent to deaths from cancer.