Aisha Alamri
Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Saudi Arabia
Title: A future without antibiotics! are we ready for it?
Biography
Biography: Aisha Alamri
Abstract
The discovery of antibiotics a century ago was a game changer in the face of infectious diseases, However, the world witnessed a dramatic drop in antibiotics efficacy in the last few decades due to superbugs emergence and dissemination. With an estimated 10 million deaths per year by 2050, the world health organization has declared that antimicrobial resistance is one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity. The use of antibiotics in non-clinical fields such as food industry, livestock and for environmental purposes have complicated the picture and made proposed solutions to combat resistance hard to achieve. The rise of COVID-19 as a pandemic on the other hand has magnified the scope of the problem as many COVID-positive cases were prescribed extended spectrum antibiotics to manage suspected secondary bacterial infections. The novel antibiotics industry is not coping with the global demand because of complex factors related to the cost and business logistics. The future solution must include implementing strict infection control measures improving pathogen detection technologies adherence to antibiotics stewardship guidelines and supporting novel antimicrobial research and discoveries at national and international levels.