German doctors get worried over amplified failures of antibiotics
Date
10/22/2024 8:42:16 AM
(MENAFN) German medical professionals are raising concerns about a looming health crisis, warning that the world could be on the brink of returning to a pre-penicillin era due to the increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. According to a report by Bild, this alarming trend threatens to undo decades of progress made in modern medicine, particularly in treating bacterial infections.
Penicillin, discovered in the late 1920s, revolutionized healthcare by significantly extending human lifespans and effectively combating a wide range of bacterial illnesses. However, experts now caution that this vital achievement is in jeopardy. Mathias Pletz, the head of the Paul Ehrlich Society for Infection Therapy, stated, “We are currently losing the achievements of modern medicine and falling back into the time before the discovery of penicillin.”
Professor Yvonne Mast, a microbiologist at the Leibniz Institute in Braunschweig, echoed these sentiments, emphasizing that the emergence of antibiotic resistance, combined with a lack of new antibiotic development, poses a severe threat to public health. A recent study cited by Bild predicts that antibiotic-resistant infections could lead to as many as 39 million deaths worldwide by 2050. Currently, such infections are responsible for approximately 35,000 fatalities annually in the European Union alone.
One contributing factor to this crisis is the overprescription of antibiotics by healthcare providers for outpatient treatments, particularly for respiratory infections, which are primarily caused by viruses and not treatable with antibiotics. Professor Frank Brunkhorst of Jena University Hospital highlighted that the misuse of these medications has accelerated the development of resistant strains.
Moreover, the rise in international travel post-COVID-19 has facilitated the spread of resistant pathogens. Brunkhorst pointed out that travelers returning from regions like Greece, Portugal, Turkey, and various Asian countries may bring back dangerous germs, posing serious health risks, particularly to vulnerable populations such as the elderly.
The situation calls for immediate action to combat antibiotic resistance, including better prescribing practices and increased public awareness of the issue. Without concerted efforts, the medical community fears that the world may soon face a critical regression in its ability to treat common infections, reminiscent of the pre-antibiotic era.
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