Antibiotic Resistance: A Growing Concern

Almost every year, the biggest story in the world of infectious diseases is likely to be the one most unanticipated by experts. This is true with the outbreak of Ebola, Zika, or SARS in recent years. But a persistent annual issue is antibiotics resistance.

Image source: evidencenetwork.ca

While influenza and opioids are among the top headline-makers of 2017 and early this year, it’s the progressive occurrence of antibiotic infections with multi-resistance that’s challenging many doctors globally. Finding effective treatment is a global imperative, exemplified in the rise of multi-drug resistant gonorrhea just last year. Research of two-thirds of cases in as many as 77 countries showed a lowered sensitivity of gonorrhea to the antibiotic spectrum. In short, it’s getting much harder to cure the disease.

The U.S. FDA is helping with online awareness campaigns designed to assist doctors in managing their prescriptions of antibiotics. But compounding the problem is the issue of supply, with national shortages of antibiotics rampant in many countries. Aside from the antibiotics themselves, the saline required to infuse them is growing scarce.

Image source: popsci.com

If antibiotics resistance is not given more intent attention, and a more collective effort among physicians worldwide, it may lead to more serious infections in the near future. Doctors can start addressing the problem by considering older, less expensive treatments before prescribing more powerful medications that fast-track resistance.

Captain Martin Lloyd Sanders, Ph.D., obtained his degree in zoology at the University of California and his doctorate from the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. Visit this Facebook page for similar updates.

The Top Infectious Disease Stories Of 2017

While many infectious diseases have already been contained in recent decades, they are still a major concern in the modern age.  Below are the main headlines related to infectious diseases this past year.

One is the outbreak of measles in Europe that started in late 2016 and persisted throughout 2017.  While measles is easily one of the most vaccine-preventable diseases today, many still get infected.  The most affected areas were Romania, Germany, and Italy, with some 14,000 reported cases.

Image source: time.com

Significant attention has been given to Lyme disease, the world’s most common vector-borne disease. This was manifested by the first-ever meeting of the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group, and the granting of FDA Fast Track designation to Valneva’s Lyme disease vaccine. 

Another headline-maker is the issue surrounding Dengvaxia.  Many countries have approved this supposed milestone dengue vaccine since its first use in Mexico, with the Philippines rolling out the use of the vaccine for some 730,000 children.  But last November saw the announcement from Sanofi Pasteur that there is an increased risk of severe dengue and hospitalization a few years after vaccination.  This is true among people in all age groups who had not been exposed to the dengue virus prior to vaccination.

Image source: qiagen.com

On a positive note, polio and the Guinea worm diseases are now close to getting completely eradicated.   Just like smallpox, which was eliminated in the late ‘70s, polio cases have decreased by over 99 percent since 1988.  As for Guinea worm, the estimated 3.5 million cases of the disease in Africa and Asia have decreased by more than 99.99 percent.  The great news here is that the eradication is not based on vaccines per se, but mainly through community-based interventions to educate and change people’s behavior on water sanitation.

Captain Martin Lloyd Sanders, Ph.D., has more than 12 years of service in the occupational safety and health sector. He possesses extensive experience in biological defense activities and infectious disease outbreak investigation. For related reads, click here.