Antibiotic threat warning
July 12, 2013
THE Office of the Chief Scientist
(OCS) in Australia released a paper
yesterday calling on the health,
pharmaceutical, science and
agricultural industries to build a
new and coordinated frontline
defence against the genuine threat
of returning to an era where even
minor infections could cause death.
Dubbed Meeting the threat of
antibiotic resistance, the paper
warns that “bacteria are fighting
back and developing resistance to
antibiotics at an alarming pace”.
NPS MedicineWise has echoed
the call, urging all stakeholders to
take up the paper’s call to action.
“The World Health Organization
has identified antibiotic resistance
as one of the greatest threats
to human health and today this
report from the Office of the Chief
Scientist brings the same message
home to Australia,” said NPS clinical
adviser, Dr Phillippa Binns.
“Every time we take antibiotics
when we don’t need them, or
we take them incorrectly, we
contribute to the development of
antibiotic-resistant bacteria that
can spread in the community.”
Dr Binns said that in a 2012
survey, just 43% of people realised
they should not take antibiotics to
kill viruses, and one in five expected
to be prescribed an antibiotic when
they visit the GP with a cold or flu.
The OCS said that the increasing
number of antibiotic-resistant
infections represent a “looming
public health issue,” also urging the
pursuit of research, as “essential to
fill the current antibiotics void”.
To download a copy of the OCS
paper CLICK HERE.
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