Evidence from around the world indicates an overall decline in the total stock of antibiotic effectiveness against aggressive, pathogenic bacteria, according to a new report from the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy.
Here are 15 takeaways from The State of the World's Antibiotics 2015 report.
1. Antibiotic consumption in humans is increasing globally.
2. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are increasing in prevalence worldwide, resulting in infections that are difficult and expensive to treat.
3. A major driver of this resistance is antibiotic use due to the burden of infectious disease in low and middle income countries with easy access to antibiotics.
4. Few of these countries have national programs for monitoring antibiotic-resistant infections and their treatment.
5. An estimated 80 percent of all antibiotics are consumed in communities where they are commonly purchased without a prescription.
6. Hospital use of antibiotics is disproportionately important to monitor due to the confluence of patients with serious conditions and the interconnectedness of hospitals through mobile patient populations.
7. Antibiotics are increasingly used in animal husbandry worldwide, often to promote growth rather than fight disease. This results in resistance that spills over to the human population.
8. Livestock farmers must be given the knowledge and tools to optimize their agricultural production without the use of antibiotics.
9. The CDDEP recommends phasing out the sale of any feed pre-mixed with antibiotics.
10. The effectiveness of antibiotics degrades over time and new types of antibiotics are expensive and unavailable for most populations around the world, often those with the highest disease burdens.
11. It is vital to conserve the effectiveness of existing antibiotics in addition to searching for new ones.
12. Fears that the world is facing a rapidly thinning pipeline of new antibiotics have shifted the promotion of policies from conservation to new developments.
13. Solutions to the problem of antibiotic resistance will need to take place at the national and regional levels.
14. The solution is to reduce the need for antibiotics through better public health, reducing unnecessary use and improving access where it is warranted.
15. National strategies to change use norms should focus on interventions that address conservation incentives for hospital and community settings, targeting both providers and the public.