Antimicrobial resistance disproportionately affects the world’s poorest and most vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries.
Canadian doctors don’t have easy access to newer antibiotics, and must prescribe older, generic treatments that are increasingly ineffective due to resistance.
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Penicillin originally came from a fungus, and with thousands of fungi to explore, Aotearoa New Zealand has a potential treasure trove of bacteria-killing compounds.
With nurse prescribing expanding globally, it’s important they are properly guided and supported when it comes to antibiotics and managing patient expectations.
Multidrug-resistant Candida auris can cause serious infections among patients in hospitals and other group medical care settings.
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During a raging pandemic it is obviously worthwhile to use hand sanitisers, particularly when we are unable to wash our hands. But we should minimise their use when cases drop.
The overuse of sub-standard disinfectants could fuel resistance.
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Estimating the cost of antibiotic resistance to economies and health-care systems is fraught with difficulty, but new research says Australia will be hit harder than we think.
Illustration of Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria.
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The African continent has the highest burden of gonorrhoea worldwide. In South Africa alone, it’s estimated that more than 2 million new cases occur annually.
As antimicrobial resistance increases, the options for treating serious infections dwindle. Doctors need reliable information about which treatments to try out.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria (coloured yellow) enmeshed within a human white blood cell (coloured red). MRSA is a major cause of hospital-associated infections.
(NIAID)
Antimicrobial resistance is a public health and economic disaster waiting to happen. If we do not address this threat, by 2050 more people will die from drug-resistant infections than from cancer.
Hand sanitisers can contain ingredients that may cause antimicrobial resistance.
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Honorary Professor Faculty of Health and Medical Science, Univeristy of Sydney; Senior Researcher Sydney Institue for Infectious Disease, University of Sydney., University of Sydney