If we do not tackle the escalating threat posed by antibiotic-resistant bugs, we could see infection-related fatalities return to early 20th-century levels, medical authorities have warned.
A report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the US, which was issued to raise awareness during its annual Get Smart About Antibiotics Week (November 18-24), provides a timeline showing that the problem was first identified in 1943.
However, efforts to address it over the past several decades have been insufficient, sparking fears that many of the past century’s medical advances could effectively be erased if immediate and coordinated global action is not taken.
According to the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA), the failure of drug companies to produce a sufficient number of new antibiotics is a key contributing factor. Only two systemic antibacterial agents have been approved for use on humans since 2008, compared to 16 between 1983 and 1987.
The reasons include the fact that “Big Pharma” does not consider it profitable enough (antibiotics are short-course drugs and developing products for long-term use is much more lucrative), complicated regulatory obstacles in some countries such as the United States, and the growing scientific complexities involved in developing ever more sophisticated drugs.
This problem is exacerbated by the use of antibiotics in food production – huge amounts are given to fish and livestock, and the exposure contributes to bacterial resistance.
The APUA stated in its newsletter: “The time has come to admit that the ways we have used, developed and protected antibiotics over the past 70 years have failed. The time for bickering over half-measures has passed.
“The time has come for innovative and bold solutions to slow resistance and speed development of new antibiotics.”
Health Authority Abu Dhabi launched a major initiative to tackle the problem in 2011 called Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance (ARS), after a study carried out by UAE University found the lethal drug-resistant superbug Acinetobacter baumannii, which causes pneumonia and blood and wound infections, in Abu Dhabi hospitals.
Under the new surveillance programme, data is gathered and analysed to identify antibiotic-related problems in communities.
While health authorities play a key role in tackling the problem, individual awareness is crucial, as it is, to a large extent, the misuse and unnecessary use of antibiotics that has resulted in bugs evolving to become resistant to drugs.
Dr Peter Swinyard, chairman of the UK’s Family Doctor Association, told The Independent on Sunday newspaper: “We need education. Not every ill needs a pill.
“People need to realise the link.
“If you treat little Johnny’s ear infection with antibiotics, his mummy may end up dying of pneumonia.
“It’s stark and it’s, of course, not direct, but on a population-wide level, that’s the kind of link we are talking about.”
A study conducted in 2010 found that 68 per cent of a sample of 510 antibiotic sales in Abu Dhabi chemists were illegally made without a prescription being presented.
Stricter controls on the sale of pharmaceutical drugs combined with greater awareness of the dangers of using antibiotics improperly would greatly complement government efforts to address this potentially catastrophic public health threat.
pmuir@thenational.ae
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
What is double taxation?
- Americans living abroad file taxes with the Internal Revenue Service, which can cost hundreds of dollars to complete even though about 60 per cent do not owe taxes, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service
- Those obligations apply to millions of Americans residing overseas – estimates range from 3.9 million to 5.5 million – including so-called "accidental Americans" who are unaware they hold dual citizenship
- The double taxation policy has been a contentious issue for decades, with many overseas Americans feeling that it punishes them for pursuing opportunities abroad
- Unlike most countries, the US follows a citizenship-based taxation system, meaning that Americans must file taxes annually, even if they do not earn any income in the US.
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
Stormy seas
Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.
We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.
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Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
High profile Al Shabab attacks
- 2010: A restaurant attack in Kampala Uganda kills 74 people watching a Fifa World Cup final football match.
- 2013: The Westgate shopping mall attack, 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers and four gunmen are killed.
- 2014: A series of bombings and shootings across Kenya sees scores of civilians killed.
- 2015: Four gunmen attack Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya and take over 700 students hostage, killing those who identified as Christian; 148 die and 79 more are injured.
- 2016: An attack on a Kenyan military base in El Adde Somalia kills 180 soldiers.
- 2017: A suicide truck bombing outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu kills 587 people and destroys several city blocks, making it the deadliest attack by the group and the worst in Somalia’s history.
