If antibiotics become ineffective, diseases that can currently be treated effectively may become a serious threat once again. This is why using antibiotics responsibly is so important.

If antibiotics were to become ineffective, all diseases that can currently be treated effectively with antibiotics would become untreatable, possibly resulting in death.

This has become one of the greatest, and most talked about challenges of modern medicine.

Diseases caused by bacteria include cholera, tuberculosis, plague, diphtheria, and various gut and lung infections.

The effect on our lives could be catastrophic. People would spend longer in hospitals, treatment costs would increase, as would the fear of infection in our society. Bacterial resistance is a global problem. The EU considers bacterial resistance to be one of our greatest threats and is fearful of the consequences. In the EU alone, an estimated 25,000 people die each year as a result of pathogens that can no longer be treated effectively with antibiotics. “Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global threat and if we do nothing now, by 2050 it could cause more deaths than cancer”, said EU Health Commissioner, Vytenis Andriukaitis.

Number of deaths per year attributable to AMR by 2050

To avoid this happening, scientists are seeking new antibiotics for which there is not yet any bacterial resistance. However, this is not an easy task! It often takes decades for a drug to be approved for use. Many new developments are also held in reserve for as long as current drugs continue to be effective, as resistance to new antibiotics will also develop sooner or later if the global use of antibiotics does not change.

Antibiotic resistance is an issue that concerns all of us; and can affect any one of us. Everyone must play their part to prevent the development of bacterial resistance. Research at the Robert Koch Institute has identified 2 measures that are absolutely essential to curb resistance:

1. Avoid infections as a matter of principle

Vaccines can be used as a preventative measure to avoid infectious diseases. Strict hygiene procedures in hospitals and all medical establishments are also essential so that resistant pathogens can be controlled or, better still, so that bacteria cannot develop resistance in the first place. In our daily lives a simple act like frequent hand washing can reduce the chance of infection significantly.

2. Only take antibiotics when essential

Antibiotics continue to be prescribed, or demanded by patients, far too often. It is absolutely vital that we stop the unnecessary use of antibiotics. For example, taking antibiotics for sore throats and colds that were likely caused by viruses (80% of cases) is pointless. Another issue is the prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics that encourage resistance across a number of different pathogens.

We can only ensure the future effectiveness of antibiotics if we address these issues now, behave more responsibly, and encourage society to think differently.

Comparison of deaths due to antimicrobial resistance and other common causes of death