WHO calls for action on antibiotic resistant gram negative organisms (superbugs)

WHO's first global report [1] on antibiotic resistance reveals serious, worldwide threat to public health:

A new report by WHO–its first to look at antimicrobial resistance, including antibiotic resistance, globally–reveals that this serious threat is no longer a prediction for the future, it is happening right now in every region of the world and has the potential to affect anyone, of any age, in any country. Antibiotic resistance–when bacteria change so antibiotics no longer work in people who need them to treat infections–is now a major threat to public health.

Many bacterial infections, such as gonorrhea 

(microscopic image above), are no longer easily 

treated with antibiotics.

Photograph by science picture co., corbis

#thankfully shared from:Nat Geo

Concern of the day:
“Without urgent, coordinated action by many stakeholders, the world is headed for a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries which have been treatable for decades can once again kill,” says Dr Keiji Fukuda, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Health Security. “Effective antibiotics have been one of the pillars allowing us to live longer, live healthier, and benefit from modern medicine. Unless we take significant actions to improve efforts to prevent infections and also change how we produce, prescribe and use antibiotics, the world will lose more and more of these global public health goods and the implications will be devastating.”

thankfully shared from:http://myemail.constantcontact.com/
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Key findings from the report include:

• Resistance to the treatment of last resort for life-threatening infections caused by a common intestinal bacteria, Klebsiella pneumoniae–carbapenem antibiotics–has spread to all regions of the world. K. pneumoniae is a major cause of hospital-acquired infections such as pneumonia, bloodstream infections, infections in newborns and intensive-care unit patients. In some countries, because of resistance, carbapenem antibiotics would not work in more than half of people treated for K. pneumoniae infections.
• Resistance to one of the most widely used antibacterial medicines for the treatment of urinary tract infections caused by E. coli–fluoroquinolones–is very widespread. In the 1980s, when these drugs were first introduced, resistance was virtually zero. Today, there are countries in many parts of the world where this treatment is now ineffective in more than half of patients.
• Treatment failure to the last resort of treatment for gonorrhoea–third generation cephalosporins–has been confirmed in Austria, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Norway, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden and the United Kingdom. More than 1 million people are infected with gonorrhoea around the world every day.
• Antibiotic resistance causes people to be sick for longer and increases the risk of death. For example, people with MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) are estimated to be 64% more likely to die than people with a non-resistant form of the infection. Resistance also increases the cost of health care with lengthier stays in hospital and more intensive care required.

 People can help tackle resistance by:

• using antibiotics only when prescribed by a doctor;
• completing the full prescription, even if they feel better;
• never sharing antibiotics with others or using leftover prescriptions.

Health workers and pharmacists can help tackle resistance by:

• enhancing infection prevention and control;
• only prescribing and dispensing antibiotics when they are truly needed;
• prescribing and dispensing the right antibiotic(s) to treat the illness.

Policymakers can help tackle resistance by:

• strengthening resistance tracking and laboratory capacity;
• regulating and promoting appropriate use of medicines.

Policymakers and industry can help tackle resistance by:

• fostering innovation and research and development of new tools;
• promoting cooperation and information sharing among all stakeholders.

 

Highlights of the report by WHO South-East Asia Region

The available data reveal that antibiotic resistance is a burgeoning problem in WHO’s South-East Asia Region, which is home to a quarter of the world’s population. The report’s results show high levels of E. coli resistance to third generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones—two important and commonly used types of antibacterial medicine–in the Region. Resistance to third generation cephalosporins in K. pneumoniae is also high and widespread. In some parts of the Region, more than one quarter of Staphylococcus aureus infections are reported to be methicillin-resistant (MRSA), meaning that treatment with standard antibiotics does not work. In 2011, the health ministers of the Region articulated their commitment to combat drug resistance through the Jaipur Declaration. Since then, there has been growing awareness of the need for appropriate tracking of drug resistance, and all countries have agreed to contribute information to a regional database. Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, has identified drug resistance as a priority area of WHO’s work in the Region.

#antibiotic crisis and molecular medicine

#content of this post thankfully shared from a news link of WHO, 30 April 2014 Geneva: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2014/amr-report/en/