- South African hospitals have reported a significant increase in drug-resistant bacteria in the last five years.
- Researchers at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) that published recently the case study have reported a surge in certain antibiotic-resistant bacteria in several public and private hospitals across the country.
South African hospitals have reported a significant increase in drug-resistant bacteria in the last five years. Researchers at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) that published recently the case study have reported a surge in certain antibiotic-resistant bacteria in several public and private hospitals across the country.
Treatment of critical and life-threatening infections with antibiotics is becoming increasingly ineffective. Study co-author Prof Sabiha Essack, the South African Research Chair in Antibiotic Resistance and One Health and professor in pharmaceutical sciences at UKZN cautioned that the available drugs are becoming less effective at treating infections.
The situation has led to a dramatic increase in the use of so-called “last resort” antibiotics in public hospitals over the last five years. The researchers have pointed out that the doctors are increasingly turning to “reserve” antibiotics and some of these last-line-of-defense medicines are also failing to fight bacterial infections due to misuse, overuse and so on.
