Antibiotic resistance could soon mean death caused by 'scratch or insect bite'

02 January 2024 , 09:21

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Antibiotic resistance is a leading concern among scientists (Image: PA)

More people are dying from antibiotic resistance than Covid each year - with experts warning an infection caused by an insect bite could soon be fatal.

According to the World Health Organisation, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top global public health and development threats to humans. It occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines.

This means the bacteria or fungi are not killed by the drug and continue to grow. Infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant germs can be difficult, even impossible in some cases, to treat.

AMR, which is the overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and plants, was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths.

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The WHO has called the alarming situation a "silent pandemic" (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective and infections become difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, disability, and death.

The WHO has called the alarming situation a "silent pandemic" and the US and Canada have been forced to implement plans ensuring the drugs are much harder to give to patients.

William Gaze, Professor of Microbiology at the University of Exeter, exclusively told Mirror US, that the number of people dying from antibiotic-resistant is increasing each year - without people noticing.

He said: "Currently approximately the same number of people die every year from antibiotic-resistant infections that died in the COVID-19 pandemic per year but it has gradually increased without us really noticing.

Professor William Gaze issued a stark warning (Professor in Microbiology)

"In future, this is anticipated to increase to be the leading cause of death globally. Antibiotics underpin modern medicine eg. surgery, cancer treatment, safe childbirth, anything where antibiotics are used to prevent or treat infection.

"We need to use less antibiotics and use the appropriate antibiotics requiring better diagnostic tests to identify the correct antibiotic to use, we need to improve sanitation and reduce transmission, reduce antibiotic use in farm animal production (where most antibiotics are used globally), use less antimicrobial products for cleaning, impregnated into clothing, sprayed in public places because of anxiety around infection."

Alarmingly, Mr Gaze believes if someone is infected by a scratch or an insect bite and the antibiotics fail to work, there could be huge consequences for our health - including death.

He added: "The worst-case scenario is off widespread pan-resistant bacterial pathogens that are untreatable, meaning you could die from an infection caused by a scratch of an insect bite. We take antibiotics for granted as they are cheap but imagine life without them. How many times have you taken antibiotics, any one of those infections could have caused severe health consequences or even death."

Dave Daige, a health communications expert with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, exclusively told Mirror US antimicrobial resistance poses a risk "to human health and the global economy."

The number of people dying from antibiotic-resistant is increasing each year (Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF)

The CDC said it is essential to reduce the "unnessary" use of antibotics as Covid showed how prevention is the best cure. He said: "AMR is threatening the advances of modern medicine, posing risks to human health and the global economy. Every country should work to reduce unnecessary use of antibiotics and antifungals, improve access, implement and measure stewardship programs, and track use and use the data to advance solutions.

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"Setbacks for combatting AMR can and must be temporary. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear-prevention is preparedness. Addressing the threat of antimicrobial resistance requires continued aggressive action to prevent infections in the first place, improve antibiotic and antifungal use, and stop the spread of resistance when it does develop.

"CDC supports activities in nearly 50 high-burden countries throughout the world to improve antibiotic and antifungal use, track resistance, and implement infection prevention and control activities."

Liam Buckler