Antibiotic resistance a global threat to modern medicine: WHO

May 1, 2014: Resistance to antibiotic drugs is a serious threat across the world and has the potential to affect people of all ages and in any country. The warning appears in the World Health Organization's very first report on antimicrobial resistance or drug resistance.
Antibiotics treat infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses or fungi. Dr Keiji Fukuda, WHO's Assistant Director-General for Health Security explains. "Worldwide, many infections are very common. Pneumonia which are infections of the lungs, urinary tract infections, infections of the blood system, diarrhoea in some instances, sexually transmitted diseases, these are infections that occur on a regular basis in large numbers all around the world. What this means is that we are losing the ability to treat these kinds of infections which we see everywhere."
Dr Fukuda adds that the ability to address infections that affect developing countries more than others will also be eroded.
He has also warned that common ailments which have been treatable for decades will kill again if antibiotics lose their effectiveness.