Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - December 12, 2004
Megan Power
THE growing menace of drug-resistant superbugs has become a "shadow epidemic" throughout the world.
A unique global report tracking mounting resistance paints an alarming picture of what happens when drugs meet bugs.
It focuses on the most "troubling and urgent" infectious disease threats, such as HIV/Aids, TB and hospital-acquired infections, whose cures are compromised by antimicrobial resistance.
The summary of the report Shadow Epidemic: The Growing Menace of Drug Resistance has been released ahead of time as a desperate "wake-up call" to health authorities around the world. The full version of the report will be released early next year.
If nothing is done, it warns, the world could soon return to the dark ages of medicine where daily life could become "an obstacle course of fear".
"A snapshot of these findings is made available now because scientists have identified mounting new trends in antimicrobial resistance that beg the immediate attention of public health policymakers and medical professionals," the summary said.
Compiled by the Global Advisory on Antibiotic Resistance Data (GAARD) project, formed by the Boston-based Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics in 1998, it made a universal appeal for expanded worldwide surveillance.
The GAARD project brings together the world's largest surveillance systems and involves the World Health Organisation, pharmaceutical companies and leading infectious disease experts.
Experts have warned that although the discovery of antimicrobials in the 1940s heralded the defeat of infectious diseases, resistance to antibiotics is now casting a shadow on medical miracles.
They say it has become evident that disease-causing bacteria possess an amazing arsenal of defences against medicine's "magic bullets".
"The problem of resistance has insinuated itself into virtually all the infections that strike humankind," the report said.
Experts warned that the need for co-ordinated global surveillance was highlighted by the threat of bio-terrorism. In the hands of the wrong person, they said, genetically engineered and biologically repackaged organisms could be made resistant to antimicrobials, sparking widespread epidemics.
"If the summary has one overriding message, it is that no nation and no single surveillance system can stand alone in heading off antimicrobial resistance.
"As economic globalisation has proven, all of our lives are interconnected. Infectious disease pathogens - including those that are drug-resistant -- need no visas."
The head of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Association of South Africa, Vicki Ehrich, said it appeared that research into new antibiotics was not increasing but companies were investing in "revamping" older antibiotics.
"We should be seeking alternative ways to fund research in this area, such as public-private partnerships. This type of model has been used quite successfully in seeking better medicines for diseases like malaria."
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