“There is a growing recognition that action must be taken to deal with the alarming rise in the incidence of bacteria resistant to today’s antibiotics, and its implications for global health.”
Natures published an editorial in March 2013, describing ” the relatively low level of recognition that this problem has received among policy-makers, especially when compared with the potentially catastrophic nature of the crisis that is unfolding.”
They go on to note that, “despite expert advice to the contrary, antibiotics remain heavily over-prescribed by doctors around the world. In many countries they are available to buy over the counter without a prescription. In addition, in both the developed and the developing world, antibiotics remain in wide use as growth supplements in livestock, a practice that has drawn much criticism.”
Finally, they urge that “…next step must be to bring together all parties with a stake in the issue — researchers, health-care professionals and policy-makers, as well as representatives of the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries — to draw up a plan to tackle the crisis together.”
Read the full editorial here:
http://www.nature.com/news/the-antibiotic-alarm-1.12579
