Report claims future superbugs ‘could kill thousands´

A NEW generation of superbugs resistant to antibiotics could kill tens of thousands in the UK alone, a government report has warned.

Antibiotics are commonly used in all walks of life, and have for many years been an effective treatment for many ailments. Unfortunately, this could be the basis of the problem facing scientists and doctors studying possible outcomes from a new type of superbug.

Scientists have said they are concerned about the impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which renders antibiotics and antiviral drugs ineffective against common diseases that are ordinarily fought off with a short course of medication.

And a government report has suggested that up to 200,000 people could be infected if an antimicrobial-resistant strain took hold in the UK, with an estimated 80,000 of those infected dying. The report went on to say, “Without effective antibiotics, even minor surgery and routine operations could become high-risk procedures.”

David Cameron has said that a situation such as this would see the world thrown into a new “dark ages of medicine.”

Former economist Jim O’Neill was commissioned by the Prime Minister to produce the report, which predicts a worldwide death toll of 10 million by 2050 if new drugs are not developed.

In Spain, efforts are being made to reduce excess use of prescribed antibiotics, and those bought illegally, in a bid to suppress the threat of antibiotic resistant drugs.

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