Antibiotic Resistance
Every year 25,000 people in Europe die from bacterial infections that cannot be treated because of antibiotic resistance. In developing countries too, resistance is a growing public health problem. If something is not done soon, future generations will be denied effective antibiotics.
Wemos lobbies for both the reduction of irresponsible antibiotic use and for investment in the development of new antibiotics.
Physicians once thought that infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and pneumonia had finally eliminated. However, the opposite is true. Due to the huge doses of antibiotics that are unnecessarily administered to people and animals throughout the world, increasing numbers of pathogens are becoming resistant.
People are sometimes wrongly prescribed antibiotics, or they do not complete the course of treatment. In the Netherlands, the economic interests of cattle farmers lead to situations in which antibiotics are often administered prophylactically to healthy animals. This results in resistant bacteria, which people ingest when they eat meat. Another problem is the spread of antibiotics and resistant bacteria through groundwater and drinking water.
As a result of these developments, current antibiotics are becoming less effective. It is vital that new antibiotics be developed. Yet the pharmaceutical industry is making very little effort in this area, as antibiotics tend to have a short economic life. It is financially more attractive to invest in drugs that people use throughout their lives, such as diabetes medication.
Unless politically radical measures are taken, increasing numbers of people will die of pneumonia or after an appendix operation, as was the case in the past. Pathogens will also cause more and more deaths, as seen in the recent outbreaks of EHEC bacteria in Germany. In developing countries the situation is even more worrying, given the fragile state of people’s health. There will be even more victims of pneumonia and tuberculosis in these areas than there are today.
Activities
Wemos is endeavouring to preserve antibiotics for tomorrow’s generation, by:
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advocating drastic measures (in the Netherlands and at international level) to combat antibiotic resistance throughout the world;
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collaborating with Dutch organizations, such as the Institute for Responsible Medication Use (IVM), the Consumers’ Association and The Netherlands Society for Nature and Environment, as well as international networks such as ReACT;
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staging campaigns to inform people about the impact of antibiotic resistance, and
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generating media interest in its work.
Expected lobbying results
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Dutch and international policy makers are implementing drastic measures to restrict inappropriate antibiotic use in people and animals.
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Dutch and international policy makers are demonstrating their commitment to investment in the research and development of new antibiotics.
More info
Recent news about the Antibiotic Resistance project.
Last update: December 8, 2011
