Antibiotic resistance is no less dangerous than the COVID-19 pandemic

Geneva: The World Health Organization warned Friday that growing antibiotic resistance is no less dangerous than the Covid-19 pandemic and threatens to reverse medical advances made over the course of a century.

The director of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described the issue as “one of the greatest health threats of our time”.

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria, fungi and parasites acquire immunity to the effects of drugs, which makes treating common types of diseases more difficult and exacerbates their risk, which sometimes leads to death.

There are several factors that have led to the rise in antimicrobial resistance around the world in recent years, including the excessive and improper use of drugs in humans, livestock and agriculture.

“Antibiotic resistance may not seem like an emergency like a pandemic, but it is just as dangerous,” Tedros said at a news conference.

“It threatens to overturn a century of scientific progress and leave us unprotected in the face of an infection that can simply be cured today,” he added.

The organization said antibiotic resistance threatens food security, economic development and the world’s ability to fight disease.

Antibiotic resistance increases the cost of hospitalization, the length of hospital stays and increases mortality.

The World Health Organization has joined forces with the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Organization for Animal Health to launch a campaign to urge swift action to counter this threat.

The “World Health Leaders Group on Antibiotic Resistance” will bring together government leaders, corporate CEOs and civil society leaders.

The group is co-chaired by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, and the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Motley. The International Federation of Medicines Manufacturers said the antibiotic resistant bacteria currently in use are taking their toll and causing heavy losses.

“About 700,000 people die each year worldwide from antibiotic resistance and without taking strong measures to ensure the appropriate use of existing antibiotics, as well as the development of new and better treatments, this number could rise to 10 million by 2050, “the union said in a statement. .