When you thought that cancer is your worst nightmare, a new report says that superbugs or antibiotic-resistant bacteria may exceed the number of deaths come 2050. The annual report petitioned by the British government suggests that superbugs may kill someone every three seconds worldwide.
Deadly Superbugs
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria or superbugs have become a growing problem that only a few are aware of as stated by the World Health Organization (WHO). Therefore, the United Kingdom government headed by British economist Jim O'Neil commissioned a report that will reveal how grave the impact of superbugs to global health, CBS News reported.
The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance reported 50,000 lives lost each year to antibiotic-resistant infections in the United States and Europe alone. Worldwide, at least 700,000 people die each year due to drug-resistant illnesses that include tuberculosis and MRSA.
After 19 months of consultation and eight commissioned studies, the final recommendations have been released. If not addressed, superbugs can kill 10 million people a year worldwide, surpassing the death rate caused by cancer, road accidents and diabetes respectively, Grist added.
Superbugs will "kill someone every three seconds" by 2050 unless action takenhttps://t.co/27rHOFmBqj #bbcgofigure pic.twitter.com/HwI4ea5rit
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 19, 2016
The Cause of Increased Resistance
A clear cause in the increase rate of superbugs is the overuse of antimicrobials drugs. More so, there's the tendency to overprescribe, treating antimicrobials like "sweets," said O'Neil.
"We need to inform in different ways, all over the world, why it's crucial we stop treating our antibiotics like sweets," O'Neill, who in 2015 was appointed to the British House of Lords, Fox News quoted. "If we don't solve the problem we are heading to the dark ages, we will have a lot of people dying."
The problem is compounded by the use of antimicrobials in animal agriculture. By 2030, the use of antimicrobials will increase by two-thirds in developing countries. On the bright side, United States has seen a decline in the use of antibiotics in agriculture.
Recommendations
The report proposed global awareness campaign, encouraging pharmaceutical companies to develop new drugs and most importantly, cutting recommendations for antibiotics and the use of it in agriculture. The report also suggests that government in developing countries should give emphasis to clean water and sanitation. "The less people get infected, the less they need to use medicines such as antibiotics, and the less drug resistance arises," the report recommends.
What do you think of these findings? Hit us up with your comments. To know more about superbugs, check out the video below:
