The very-real risk of drug-resistant superbugs become widespread will be detrimental to British life, an expert has warned.
The NHS “could collapse” and the UK may also have to revert to the harshest pandemic practices if these antibiotic-dodging viruses, infections and illnesses become rampant, Dr Deborah Lee, from Dr Fox Online Pharmacy, said.
The doctor paints a bleak picture of what life in the UK would look like if antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – that’s viruses and bacterias that have mutated to become resistant to antibiotics, antifungals, disinfectants, antiseptics and other treatments – continued to grow at its current alarming rate.
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Dr Lee said: “Without antimicrobials, people will suffer for longer, have a longer hospital stays, routine procedures will become riskier, and complications and death rates will rise.
“Each and every one of us has much to fear from AMR.”
There are almost 5 million antimicrobial resistance related deaths recorded each year, reports the World Health Organisation, and this is estimated to rise to 10 million by 2050.
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The rise of drug-resistant superbugs is due to overuse of current drugs used to treat conditions ranging from chest, blood and urinary tract infections to HIV and malaria, as well as those used in common procedures such as caesareans, joint replacements, heart surgery and chemo.
Dr Lee says the use of antimicrobials used to treat livestock and grow crops also contribute to the problem, as they find their way into soil and waterways, giving bugs numerous opportunities to mutate and resist treatments they were previously susceptible to.
If their rise becomes widespread and common place, they have the potential not just to cause illnesses, but to interfere with other treatments, procedures and illnesses as well, which could lead to bringing the already beleaguered NHS down.
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Dr Lee said: “If more people are admitted to hospital, for longer hospital stays and needing prolonged courses of treatment, the NHS will find itself under even more pressure than it is today. If the situation becomes extreme, it’s quite possible the NHS could collapse.”
She added that if AMR continued to worsen, we could find ourselves returning to the bleak days of lockdown and self isolation.
She said: “In due course, we could well find ourselves in a situation where we need to self isolate and face another period of lockdown.
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“If the situation gets to the extreme, the only solution will be to adopt infection control measures like we had during the COVID-19 pandemic. Staying at home, limiting contact with others, wearing masks and frequent handwashing.”
New antibiotics and antimicrobials could mitigate this threat, however Dr Lee says there are “few” “in the pipeline” due to financial and regulatory hurdles.
The comments follow former Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies’ chilling warning that these drug-beating bugs have the potential to dwarf the Covid pandemic and make it look “minor”.
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She said: “It looks like a lot of people with untreatable infections, and we would have to move to isolating people who were untreatable in order not to infect their families and communities. So it’s a really disastrous picture. It would make some of Covid look minor.
“If we haven’t made good strides in the next 10 years, then I’m really scared.”
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