Drug resistance has gone global, WHO says
World Health Organization reports that antibiotics are failing worldwide against infections
By Nathan Seppa
Microbes resistant to frontline antibiotics are now widespread around the world, posing a risk that infections routinely vanquished by drugs in the past won’t be susceptible to them in the future. A World Health Organization report issued April 30 finds high resistance rates in diverse quarters against common microbes causing tuberculosis, pneumonia, diarrhea and infections of the blood, wounds and the urinary tract.
In addition to well-known staph, strep and E. coli bacteria, WHO cites increasing drug resistance in bacteria causing salmonella and gonorrhea as well as in nonbacterial agents that cause HIV and malaria.