Deadly ‘ superbug epidemic’ may wipe out 80,000 Britons

A NEW generation of superbugs resistant to antibiotics could wipe out 80,000 Britons in a single outbreak, according to government forecasts.

Up to 200,000 people would be infected by a widespread bacterial disease that could not be treated by existing drugs.

Within the next 20 years, surgery could become too risky because of an increased risk of infection and outbreaks of common flu could have “serious” consequences for patients.

The number of infections complicated by superbugs is also expected to soar.

The chilling scenario, outlined in Cabinet Office figures, could wipe out advances in modern medicine since the discovery of penicillin in curbing conditions like pneumonia and tuberculosis and making surgery and childbirth safe. David Cameron has warned the world would be “cast back into the dark ages of medicine”.

For the first time, the annual National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies – which assesses the challenges posed by terrorism, natural disasters, disease and industrial strife – has included the dangers of antimicrobial resistance ( AMR).

The report says the growing resistance to antibiotics could make medical treatments “high- risk”. It warns: “An increasingly serious issue is the development and spread of AMR, which occurs when drugs are no longer effective in treating infections caused by micro- organisms.

“Without effective antibiotics, even minor surgery and routine operations could become high- risk, leading to increased duration of illness and premature mortality.

“Much modern medicine ( for example, organ transplants, bowel surgery and some cancer treatments) may become unsafe due to the risk of infection. In addition, influenza pandemics would be more serious.”

The newly- published assessment adds: “The numbers of infections complicated by AMR are expected to increase mark- edly over the next 20 years. If a widespread outbreak were to occur, we could expect around 200,000 people to be affected by a bacterial blood infection that could not be treated effectively and around 80,000 might die.

“High numbers of deaths could also be expected from other forms of antimicrobial resistant infection.”

Around 25,000 people die in Europe each year because of infections resistant to antibiotic drugs. Scientists forecast potential fatalities from an increasing resistance to drugs in HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.

Already, there are no longer any effective drugs against one strain of E. coli, a bacterial infection that can prove lethal.

Politicians and scientists have warned of the need to find a cure for resistant infections. England’s chief medical officer Professor Dame Sally Davies said last year: “The world cannot afford not to take action to tackle the resistance to antibiotics and antimicrobial drugs.”

A report by economist Jim O’Neill, commissioned by the Prime Minister, has forecast a worldwide annual death toll of 10million by 2050 unless new drugs are developed.

‘ The world cannot afford not to take action to tackle this’

Professor sally Davies