Superbugs could trigger a health crisis worse than COVID, experts warn

The superbugs they are bacteria that escape drugs, that is, they have become resistant to a large number of antibiotics used to remove them.

At least for the World Health Organization (WHO). 700,000 people they die every year from antimicrobial resistant germs.

However, according to the researchers, these germs cause more than one million deaths a year worldwide. The difference lies in the limited information on the subject provided by many countries.

although the efforts to stem the problem started a few years ago stalled since 2020, when the pandemic started, because health ministers and scientists had to focus on research on COVID-19.

Therefore, superbugs could activate a health crisis worse than Covidexperts warn according to The sun.

Superbacteria: X-ray of the situation

“I think we are at a fairly advanced stage of a global health emergency. The problem is that this emergency, unlike Covid-19, is slow. It’s one that has been accumulating for decades, “said the professor Marco Woolhouseof the University of Edinburgh, in an exhibition at the British Parliament.

Common infections are developing antibiotic resistance (AMR)in particular antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and pesticides.

This is due to the strong exposure that bacteria have to these drugs, reports The sun when addressing the subject.

In this context, it is above all frightening rapid global spread of multi-resistant and pan-resistant bacteria (called “superbugs”) that cause infections that cannot be treated with known antimicrobial drugs.

The widespread use of drugs in farm animals and healthy patients allows for this adapt and survive. This means that first-line antibiotics may stop working and doctors will have fewer options.

“The health and economic damage of AMR could be much worse than COVID if it is not treated more seriously,” said Lord Jim O’Neillauthor of a British government report, according to media reports.

And he added: “As far as I can see, there is a very stagnant attention despite the endless conversations on the subject in many parts of the world “.

The diseases which are more and more difficult to treat include infections caused by Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus e Clostridium difficile, and gonorrhea.

According to the numbers you provide The sunfrom 2500 people already in the UK they die of incurable infections every year.

In this sense, doctors they fear that the number of victims will increase and that the risk makes surgery and cancer treatments too risky for people with weak immune systems.

Alison Holmesprofessor at Imperial College London, explained before the Science and Technology Commission of the House of Commons that: “The impact about what we can do in terms of health care is a big challenge. Whether it’s being able to perform safe surgery or appropriate immunosuppressive therapy. “

Also, he added, «also the simple and regular clinical interventions would be completely threatened it is damaged”.