What needs to be done?
Ensuring that effective antibiotics are available for future generations is a mammoth task. We need to stop giving bacteria the opportunity to see our best treatments.
Vets and doctors are being urged to only use antibiotics if absolutely necessary and to test their patients beforehand to check that the treatment will definitely work to kill the infection. Patients are being asked to always finish their full course of antibiotics, even if they feel better, to ensure that any lurking bacteria are cleared up. Farmers are being encouraged to keep their livestock clean and vaccinated rather than use antibiotics to control disease.
Governments and development organisations are under pressure to regulate and monitor antibiotic use and to make sure people have access to the right antibiotics. And the medical research community is racing to find new drugs to fight resistant strains. Rather than throw antibiotics at any infection, we need to choose our battles more carefully.