WHO Report: The World is Headed for a Post-antibiotic Era

WHO Report: The World is Headed for a Post-antibiotic Era

WHO Report: The World is Headed for a Post-antibiotic Era

Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) released Antimicrobial Resistance: Global Report on Surveillance 2014, the first comprehensive WHO report on surveillance of antibacterial resistance -- when bacteria outsmart the drugs designed to kill them. The report found that rates of resistance for common bacteria causing serious illness are high throughout the world and that there are significant gaps in global surveillance.

The findings in this landmark report are consistent with CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2013published in September 2013. Both reports sound the alarm on this serious threat. Antibiotic resistance is no longer a prediction for the future. It is happening right now in every region of the world and has the potential to affect anyone. To combat the threat in the U.S. the FY 2015 President’s Budget requests $30 million for the Detect and Protect Against Antibiotic Resistance Initiative, which is part of a broader CDC strategy to target investment and achieve measurable results in four core areas: Detect and track patterns of antibiotic resistance, Respond to outbreaks involving antibiotic-resistant bacteria, Prevent infections, prevent resistant bacteria from spreading, and improve antibiotic prescribing and Discover new antibiotics and new diagnostic tests for resistant bacteria. For more information on the WHO report, see the World Health Organization’s Fact sheet online.