<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/27/looming-global-health-crisis-urgent-action-needed-to-prevent-spread-of-drug-resistant-superbugs-csiro-says>
"Better coordination is urgently needed across Australia to mitigate the threat
of superbugs as a “global health crisis” looms, according to a new report
co-produced by the national science agency.
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when microorganisms develop mechanisms to
protect themselves against drugs that destroy them, such as bacteria developing
antibiotic resistance, or fungi becoming resistant to antifungal medicines.
The report, published by the CSIRO and the Australian Academy of Technological
Sciences and Engineering, describes antimicrobial resistance as a “looming
global health crisis” with the ability to render some of the most critical
drugs to modern medicine ineffective.
“There is a lack of coordination in the efforts against the rise of
antimicrobial resistance, significant data siloes across states and sectors,
and a need to increase community understanding about the issues and impacts of
antimicrobial resistance,” the report found.
“Without this coordination it will be difficult … to tackle the impacts of
climate change that can accelerate the emergence and spread of antimicrobial
resistance,” it said.
Without urgent action, the report warns of a “post-antibiotic world” in 2050,
marked by declines in lifespan, quality of life, and livestock production, with
“meat being rare and risky to eat”.
The United Nations has previously predicted that without urgent intervention,
drug-resistant microbes would result in 10 million deaths each year globally by
2050.
“The more we use antibiotics, the faster we lose them,” said Dr Branwen Morgan,
lead of the Minimising Antimicrobial Resistance Mission at the CSIRO."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
