November 13, 2019
Andrew Campbell
Lord Jim O’Neill, Chair of the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) on behalf of the British Government, published “Tackling Drug-Resistant Infections Globally: Final Report and Recommendations” in 2016. He concluded that if we do not undertake big policy initiatives, by 2050 there would be 10 million people worldwide dying from AMR-related diseases.
Experts believe AMR occurs when micro-organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses, evolve to resist the drugs prescribed to kill them. For decades, unnecessary antimicrobial use in human beings and agricultural farming has deteriorated the AMR problem. The resistant bacteria are usually spreading out around the world through international trade and travel.
On November 12, the Council of Canadian Academies released a comprehensive 268-page document, commissioned by the Public Health Agency of Canada, entitled "When antibiotics fail: The growing cost of antimicrobial resistance in Canada". The investigative report cautioned Canada’s bacterial infections resistant to treatment will grow from 26% in 2018 to 40% by 2050. It also revealed drug resistance superbugs were estimated to cost Canada 396,000 lives and US$400 billion in the gross domestic product over the next 3 decades.
The Canadian report indicated AMR infections decrease the quality of life while increasing isolation and stigma. The AMR would target socio-economic groups including indigenous, low-income and homeless people, and visitors to developing countries. The report stated that AMR resistance could reduce the routine practice of many medical treatments such as Cesarean section, chemotherapy, joint replacement, and kidney dialysis. These procedures are all likely to increase the risk and carry a threat of AMR infections because antibiotics are often prescribed for patients.
The report's findings certainly strongly urged the Canadian government to realize a complete re-evaluation of the AMR infections and ought to come out plans and deal with responsibilities for health care in provinces and territories.
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