In the globally renowned trauma hospital, St George’s Hospital in south London, a dire prediction that has been anticipated for decades came to fruition in November 2022. A 35-year-old soldier arriving from Ukraine with extensive shrapnel wounds also bore the hidden danger of a bacterial infection deep within his wounds. Despite treatment with multiple combinations of antibiotics, including the potent colistin reserved for severe cases, the bacteria persisted, demonstrating resistance to treatment, a clear manifestation of antimicrobial resistance or AMR. This led to the unfortunate amputation of the soldier’s leg, a grim reminder of a dystopian future feared by healthcare professionals across the globe.
AMR, which deems even routine healthcare a potential threat to life, has been referred to as a silent pandemic. Infections trivialized due to successful treatment by antibiotics could once again reign with deadly potency if the tide of AMR is not stemmed. This is not an isolated incident. Similar circumstances have been reported from Norway, Germany, and the Netherlands, all countries that have been providing medical assistance to soldiers from the Ukrainian frontlines.
The situation is further aggravated due to areas of conflict and catastrophe, where infection prevention and control measures tend to be compromised due to the overwhelming demand for medical help. This environment creates the perfect conditions for the propagation of superbugs. AMR is not restricted to healthcare environments and warzones. In 2022, more than 58,000 people in England contracted an antibiotic-resistant infection, leading to almost 8,000 deaths.
The over-prescription and misuse of antibiotics have accelerated the evolution of resistance to these vital drugs. Alarmingly, no new classes of antibiotics have been discovered since the 1980s, compounded by the lack of investment from pharmaceuticals, given the potential risk of resistance to any new antibiotics.
Nevertheless, efforts are underway to attempt to halt the progress of AMR. Trials conducted in Bristol are exploring alternatives to common antibiotics prescribed for urinary tract infections in hopes of reducing resistance. Furthermore, advances in diagnostics could potentially aid the differentiation between viral and bacterial infections, ensuring correct and judicious use of antibiotics.
It is indeed a concerted international effort that will ultimately make a significant difference in the battle against the silent pandemic of AMR. Actions towards this are being taken at the global level with World leaders converging at the UN general assembly in an attempt to formulate agreements to combat the threat of superbugs. Other events such as the World AMR Congress and a global AMR summit are being organized to build momentum towards a united global response. These meetings may not be an immediate panacea, but they represent the critical first steps in slowing down the onslaught of AMR, suspectably the next major threat to modern healthcare.
Source: https://www.thetimes.com/article/drug-resistant-superbugs-antibiotics-ukraine-nhs-q7lnhtjmq