December 09, 2019
Antibiotics are one of the greatest marvels of modern medicine. Before the introduction of penicillin in the 1940s, bacterial infections were the leading cause of death – even more deadly than cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Imagine, a simple paper cut that could kill you – or anything that might lead to an infection like, like surgery of any kind. Chemotherapy, where antibiotics are provided to help the body fight infection when your immune system is compromised during cancer treatment, will be much more dangerous. Even giving birth would be much more dangerous, for both mother and child.
‘This could be our reality again’ is what an expert panel cautions in a report commissioned by the Public Health Agency of Canada. As use of antimicrobials has increased, bacteria evolved to become resistant, resulting in drugs that are no longer effective at treating infections.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is increasing worldwide, and with widespread trade and travel, resistance can spread quickly, posing a serious threat globally. For Canada, the implications of AMR are severe as bacterial infections resistant to treatment are likely to grow from 26 per cent in 2018 to 40 per cent by 2050. “This is almost as big, if not bigger, than climate change in a sense because this is directly impacting people. The numbers are just staggering,” says Brett Finlay, the University of British Columbia microbiology professor who chaired the panel assembled by the Council of Canadian Academies. The 268-page document represents the most comprehensive picture to date of the country’s resistance rate, as well as its costs to the health system and economy.
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when micro-organisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi, evolve to resist the drugs that would otherwise kill them. Unnecessary antimicrobial use in humans and agriculture exacerbates the problem, and widespread international travel and trade help resistant bacteria spread around the world.
The launch of the report coincided with a discussion of international experts at the 2019 Gairdner Symposium.
