aranov

According to an article recently published in the UK newspaper The Independent, the world is being driven towards the “unthinkable scenario of untreatable infections”, owing to the rise of drug-resistant bacteria. But the problem is far from a European one. The whole world is gradually being drawn into the nightmare of no more effective antibiotics. Reports are increasing across the world, of patients with infections that are nearly impossible to treat. The European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) said yesterday that in some countries up to 50 per cent of cases of blood poisoning caused by one bug – K. pneumoniae, a common cause of urinary and respiratory conditions – were resistant to carbapenems, the most powerful class of antibiotics. The percentage of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae has doubled from 7 per cent to 15 per cent. The ECDC said it is “particularly worrying” because carbapenems are the last-line antibiotics for treatment of multi-drug-resistant infections. Marc Sprenger, the director, said: “The situation is critical. We need to declare a war against these bacteria.” Tough words Marc. Trouble is, it comes out a bit hollow: declaring war when you’re out of bullets and shells!

According to an article recently published in the UK newspaper The Independent, the world is being driven towards the “unthinkable scenario of untreatable infections”, owing to the rise of drug-resistant bacteria. But the problem is far from a European one. The whole world is gradually being drawn into the nightmare of no more effective antibiotics. Reports are increasing across the world, of patients with infections that are nearly impossible to treat. The European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) said yesterday that in some countries up to 50 per cent of cases of blood poisoning caused by one bug – K. pneumoniae, a common cause of urinary and respiratory conditions – were resistant to carbapenems, the most powerful class of antibiotics. The percentage of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae has doubled from 7 per cent to 15 per cent. The ECDC said it is “particularly worrying” because carbapenems are the last-line antibiotics for treatment of multi-drug-resistant infections. Marc Sprenger, the director, said: “The situation is critical. We need to declare a war against these bacteria.” Tough words Marc. Trouble is, it comes out a bit hollow: declaring war when you’re out of bullets and shells!