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THE WORLD HEALTH Organisation (WHO) has warned that the world is running out of effective antibiotics and that antimicrobial resistance is a global health emergency. They outlined that growing resistance to drugs that fight infections could “seriously jeopardise” progress made in modern medicine.
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), 25,000 people die in Europe every year from pathogens (bugs) that are resistant to antibiotics, and four million patients across the EU are struck down with a healthcare-related infection each year. Every 10 minutes, someone somewhere in the world dies because an antibiotic didn’t work.
WHO has identified 12 pathogens which cause relatively common conditions including pneumonia and urinary tract infections that are increasingly resistant to currently available antibiotics. This is extremely worrying because WHO is not satisfied at the rate of progress in the development of new antibiotics. Meanwhile, a 2016 report from the Department of Health shows that antibiotic consumption rates in Ireland are increasing.
A problem that concerns us all
Simply put, we are taking more antibiotics than ever before at a time when antibiotic resistance is increasing and not enough new antibiotics which are capable of dealing with common pathogens are being developed.
This is a problem that should concern us all, and there is something we can do to help. The repeated and improper use of antibiotics is the single most important factor leading to antibiotic resistance in Ireland and around the world. If we allow antibiotic resistance to grow, the antibiotics used to treat infections today will become ineffective or will stop working altogether in the future.
This will not only cripple our ability to fight routine infections but will also undermine the treatment of more complicated infections, especially in patients with chronic diseases, and may make currently routine surgery unviable and potentially life-threatening.
Should only be taken when absolutely necessary
Antibiotics can also have a number of side-effects and, therefore, should be taken only when absolutely necessary. One in five people who take antibiotics will get side-effects such as diarrhoea, upset tummy or a rash, which may cause more misery than the illness the antibiotic was prescribed for.
They can also interfere with other medications you may be taking (like cholesterol-lowering drugs and oral contraception), or cause further illnesses like thrush. Much more rarely, antibiotics can cause side-effects serious enough to land you in hospital, such as a Clostridium Difficile infection.
It has been medically proven that antibiotics are only effective for bacterial infections and do not work for the common cold, or for coughs, sore throats or sinus infections which are caused by viruses. It is important to remember too that flu is an extremely contagious respiratory illness and can lead to serious illness, even death, particularly for elderly patients and those suffering from chronic illnesses or a weakened immune system.
Antibiotics will not cure the flu. The flu vaccination is the best way to reduce your chances of getting seasonal flu and spreading it to others.
Patient expectations
There can be an expectation that if you go to a GP with certain symptoms, you should be prescribed antibiotics. This pressure on healthcare professionals is contributing to the rise in antibiotic resistance, as antibiotics are taken unnecessarily.
Pressure is also put on healthcare budgets and hospital waiting lists; the ECDC reports that multidrug-resistant bacteria results in an additional €1.5 billion in healthcare costs in the EU each year.
The annual European Antibiotic Awareness Day (November 18) aims to educate the public and encourage healthcare professionals to ensure appropriate usage of antibiotics.
Daragh Connolly is President of The Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU). The IPU is the representative and professional body for community pharmacists in Ireland. Over 2,200 pharmacists are registered as members of the IPU, representing 95% of community pharmacies in Ireland.
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Did you know that if you stand on the Great Wall of China you can actually see the moon.
Not if he’s in Korea.
Brilliant …. love this sort of story. Will I be able to see it in Newbridge? If so I’ll be out with my jacket and a scarf (bloody well cold up here compared to Cork) and a cuppa to have a look
Wondering the same thing myself Eileen!
Download the iss app to your phone Eileen -I am also in newbridge and its a brilliant app -alarm goes off to let you know when its due to pass -I’ll be out tonight looking up at it -crutches and all
Naas is on the line
The moon being upside down is surely a bigger story!
Vews (and photos) through a telesope are upside down. Same with view through one’s eyes but the brain turns them up “the right way”. Someone just forgot to flip the photo.
There was an experiment years ago where people were given spectacles which showed everything upsidedown. It took a couple of days but eventually their brain adjusted so they could see normally! They had a few more unpleasant days when they stopped using the glasses.
Clear sky over Dublin tonight, is the moving station visable with the human eye?
It’s easily visible with the human eye. To ne honest it looks like a very large shooting star in my opinion. I have used a basic pair of binoculars and made out good detail.
It is extremely bright in the night sky, moving at a fairly fast pace. You can’t miss it.
That is no moon!
I wll tell the kids it’s the Emporers Shuttle arriving :-)
Lol, he’s just here for a look around… We’ll send him packing, probably would like it much like the airwaves adds.
Oh so that’s the moon! Thanks Journal!
Pass the beer nuts please
Do you live in the west? Cloud cover?
That’s my thursday evening sorted so :)
Grand, my boss lives in the moon. I will tell her to have her coins ready so she doesn’t miss this one…
Astronomy Ireland have a page showing where this will be visible here
I’m delighted that the picture above is captioned.
Just saw it passing by. That was very cool! Thanks for the tip off. It was moving a lot faster and much brighter than I thought!
bet ya €5 the clouds come out to watch as well always the same frigging irish weather
I’m so excited!
Will a person not on the line see the station at all ? I remember when the shuttle flew over after launch and most people could see it. What’s different here ?
Thanks Ciara
Clouds in Dublin as per usual. Caught a glimpse but nowhere near the moon.
Stupid cloud about to obscure the moon at 20.48 grrrrr
Got some pics and a video so a very happy camper here.
Cool. Anyone interested space x are the new movers in space exploration and they have some cool ideas if you like these type of things.
Just spent past hour and a bit looking to the sky’s on lovely clear night and didn’t see a thing:( glad didn’t spend good money on that ha
have your say