“Antibiotic resistance is not only a future threat; it is present right here and now.”
Antibiotics have started to fail. Resistant bacteria already cause more than 750,000 deaths every year. This number is predicted to rise dramatically if radical actions are not taken. Antibiotic resistance has become one of the greatest threats to global health.
A short movie about the history and the current status of antibiotics from the four week online course: Antibiotic Resistance: the silent tsunami, produced by ReAct and Uppsala University, Sweden. Production: www.visuallab.no
Read more about the differences between antibiotics and antimicrobials in the ReAct Toolbox: UNDERSTAND: Antibiotics.
WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION NOW!
Antibiotic resistance is not only a future threat; it is present right here and now.
Bacterial infections have plagued humans throughout history. In the past 70 years antibiotics have changed the world by saving and improving countless lives, establishing them as the cornerstones of all modern health systems.
From basic healthcare to advanced technology supported medicine, antibiotics have become indispensable. However, antibiotic resistance erodes antibiotic efficiency and the cornerstones have started to crumble.
Although serious adverse events are rare overall, common risks linked to use of antibiotics exist. For more information, see the ReAct Toolbox: UNDERSTAND.
Antibiotics are medicines that kill or stop bacteria from growing. Resistant bacteria are able to withstand attacks by antibiotics – they have developed defenses that protect against the effects of antibiotics that could previously kill them. When bacteria that can cause diseases become resistant, standard treatments stops working, infections persist and may spread to others. For more information, see the ReAct Toolbox: UNDERSTAND – Why should I care?
Over the last decade the message of the impending crisis has started to reach the attention of world leaders and global health institutions. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared antimicrobial resistance, including antibiotic resistance, a priority health issue and has prompted its Member States to take action. Warnings from the former WHO Director General Margaret Chan describe a world near to a ‘post-antibiotic era’.