ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE: THE NEXT PANDEMIC?

This increase in resistance occurs when antibiotics are used on patients and some forms of bacteria die. But resistant bacteria can survive and in some cases begin to multiply. The more we overuse antibiotics, the greater the chances bacteria have to become resistant to them. This results in antibiotics being unable to work against many forms of bacteria which cause disease. 

The spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has demonstrated the speed at which disease can spread across countries and around the world. In recent years, the growing rate of antimicrobial resistance has caused concerns that the increasing threat posed by ‘superbugs’ – a term used to refer to bacteria that are resistant to all known antibiotics – will hinder our ability to handle another major pandemic. There is now a growing belief that our existing range of antibiotics may be unable to fight against many new biological infections.