The discovery of penicillin is widely considered to be one of the greatest medical breakthroughs in

The discovery of penicillin is widely considered to be one of the greatest medical breakthroughs in history. Mere infections, once considered life-threatening, became empoli outlet easily treatable and diseases such as scarlet fever were no longer death sentences. However, with drug-resistant empoli outlet pathogens (bacteria, fungi, empoli outlet and viruses to name a few) becoming more prevalent due to the overuse of antibiotics, empoli outlet antifungals and such, society may regress to a time where previously insignificant infections, injuries and diseases become deadly threats. Fortunately, thanks to modern medicine and technology, scientists empoli outlet have a clear picture of what they are up against, though failure to create a solution may result in dire consequences for humanity.
Drug resistant infectious empoli outlet diseases are one of the major problems empoli outlet facing modern medicine; with the worst being antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Infectious diseases like cholera and malaria are becoming more resistant to antibiotics and antimalarials; making them more difficult to cure. Pathogens in general will become more resistant to drugs as they naturally mutate and evolve. With nearly 80% of antibiotics in the US used by the livestock industry and patients not completing their antibiotic courses, resistance is developing much faster than natural.
Exacerbating the problem is a decrease in the number of pharmaceutical companies empoli outlet developing new antibiotics. empoli outlet Such a decrease is due to the costs and regulations involved in developing a new drug and the fact that antibiotics are only taken for short periods of time. Compared to more long term drugs, like those for blood pressure, antibiotics have lower returns on investment. Also, if a company does develop a new, highly effective antibiotic, its use may be restricted to only combatting the most resistant infections to avoid pathogens developing resistance as fast as previous drugs. However, there are some developments in antibiotics. The Monash School of Biomedical Sciences is developing antimicrobials that target bacterial control genes and Janssen-Cilag International developed Bedaquiline for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. WHAT CAN BE DONE?
As Dr Keiji Fukuda, the World Health Organisation s Assistant Director-General for Health Security said, Without urgent, coordinated action by many stakeholders, the world is headed empoli outlet for a post-antibiotic era, in which common empoli outlet infections and minor injuries which have been treatable for decades can once again kill. So what are governments and pharmaceutical companies doing to curb the growing resistance of antibiotics?
The government, given the smaller incentives involved in private companies developing antibiotics, they could increase funding in research and industry for such a critical problem. In Australia, medical empoli outlet research empoli outlet is funded through the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). In 2012, the NHMRC committed less than 2 per cent of its budget to projects investigating antibiotic empoli outlet resistance with only $2.6 million empoli outlet allocated over three years to discovering new antibiotics. empoli outlet Governments could also regulate the use of antibiotics in humans empoli outlet and livestock. Decreasing the use of antibiotics in humans and livestock empoli outlet would slow the rate of drug resistance and provide more time for new drugs to be developed.
Increasing general education on better hygiene, giving access to clean water, infection control in health centres and preventative measures such as vaccinations could also go towards decreasing the rate of pathogens developing resistance to drugs. With the prudent use of antibiotics and the implementation of these public health empoli outlet measures, empoli outlet there would be more time to develop new drugs. IMPACTS ON SOCIETY
Antibiotics-resistant infections can cause treatment failure and even the death of patients, and hence result in increased costs for consumers and the healthcare system. A study by the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics empoli outlet (APUA) at Tufts University showed that the death rate for patients with antibiotic-resistant infections was two-times higher than the death rate for those without them. Because of this hazard, they require prolonged and costlier treatments, extended hospital stays and additional hospital visits.
It is estimated that in excess of direct healthcare costs, a burden of $20 billion empoli outlet a year is born by just the U.S. healthcare system. Due to the extended duration of hospital stays of approximately 6-12 days, lost productivity costs a further $35 billion per year. Based on these U.S. figures, it is estimated that the cost of antibiotic resistance to the Australian health system is in excess of $1 billion a year. In response to such an escalating financial burden on healthcare systems, the US, UK and the European Union have all coordinated surveillance systems to monitor and record hospital-acquired infection and antibiotic resistance; a feature which Australia lacks. A POST-ANTIBIOTIC WORLD AND MOVING FORWARD
Before penicillin, 90% o