At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 43

G E N E R A L H E A LT H ▲

WHY THE

DRUGS
DON'T WORK
RESISTANCE TO ANTIBIOTICS POSES A
HUGE THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH.
UNLESS NEW ONES ARE DEVELOPED,
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE COULD DIE AND
ROUTINE MEDICAL TREATMENTS MAY
BECOME A THING OF THE PAST...

WORDS: TRISH LESSLIE, IMAGES: GETTY IMAGES

A

ntibiotics are losing
their effectiveness at
an alarming rate and
the repercussions are
as serious as they are
far-reaching. Before
we had antibiotics,
people died from common illnesses
such as diarrhoea and pneumonia.
Even minor surgery was potentially
fatal as opportunistic bacteria
entering the body through the surgical
incision could cause an infection.
Any task that involved a chance of
cuts and scratches came with a risk
of contracting an infection that could
kill or necessitate an amputation.
As bacteria adapt to become
resistant to antibiotics, that's the harsh
reality the world is heading back
towards. We are once again facing
the risks of the pre-antibiotic age
as we lose the ability to fight infection
with the wonder drugs that have been
freely prescribed for decades.
Much of the problem has been
attributed to doctors over-prescribing
these medicines, which is partly
due to patients insisting on them to
treat everyday conditions such as the
common cold. But while it's true
that the fewer antibiotics you use,

the less likely it is that resistance will
develop, over-prescription is only
one part of the story.

HOW ANTIBIOTICS
WORK... AND WHY
THEY ARE BECOMING
INEFFECTIVE
Antibiotics have been successfully
used to treat bacterial infections for
70 years. They work by>either
disrupting the processes that bacteria
need to survive in the body or by
preventing them from reproducing.
Scientists have been warning
about the consequences of the
increasingly fast progression of
antibiotic resistance for years and are
finally being heard.
In 2013, the chief medical officer
for England, Professor Dame Sally
Davies, produced a report called The
Drugs Don't Work demonstrating the
'catastrophic threat' that developing
antibiotic resistance posed to the
world's health. In response, the
government set up a commission on
antimicrobial resistance.
The report published by the
commission contained the headlinegrabbing estimate of 10 million extra
deaths a year worldwide by 2050

if action was not taken globally to
reduce 'bad' antibiotic use and to
develop new antibiotics.
This means that in just a couple
of generations, the drugs that once
appeared to be a cure-all will be
ineffective against the bacteria they
were designed to beat. That's because
strains of bacteria can mutate and,
over time, become resistant to a
specific antibiotic. The chance of
bacteria mutating and becoming
resistant increases if you don't finish
the course as prescribed by your GP.
This is because any bacteria that
remain after you are better are likely
to develop resistance.
Antibiotics can also destroy
harmless strains of bacteria that live
in the body, allowing resistant bacteria
to multiply and replace them.
The overuse of antibiotics also
plays a significant part in resistance.
This includes using the drugs to treat
minor ailments that don't require
this type of medication. Unnecessary
prescriptions, over-prescription
of broad-spectrum antibiotics,
selection of the wrong antibiotics
to treat conditions and prescribing
them for inappropriate durations
have all contributed to the problem,
too, as has incorrect use by patients
(see below).

MARCH OF THE
SUPERBUGS
Increasing resistance has lead to
superbugs - strains of bacteria such as
MRSA, Clostridium difficile (C. diff )
and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis
(MDR-TB) that are resistant to more
than one type of antibiotic.
According to the World Health
Organization (WHO), these
superbugs are becoming an increasing
cause of disability and death across
the world, with multidrug-resistant
bacteria causing 400,000 infections
and 25,000 deaths in Europe every
year, according to the latest statistics.
So how do bacteria become
superbugs? At a molecular level,
these tiny organisms are finding
ways to outsmart the drugs designed
to kill them. And they don't just
survive, they thrive. The body's natural
defences struggle with the onslaught
as some bacteria can produce another
generation in as little as 20 minutes.
Pharmaceutical research has
failed to keep up with the growing
resistance. As no new type of antibiotic
has been discovered for 25 years, experts
warn the superbugs are decades ahead
in the race against humans. >

www.athomemagazine.co.uk FEBRUARY 2018 | 043



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of At Home with Chris Jessen 2018

At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 1
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 2
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 3
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 4
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 5
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 6
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 7
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 8
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 9
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 10
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 11
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 12
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 13
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 14
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 15
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 16
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 17
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 18
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 19
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 20
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 21
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 22
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 23
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 24
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 25
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 26
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 27
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 28
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 29
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 30
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 31
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 32
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 33
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 34
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 35
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 36
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 37
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 38
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 39
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 40
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 41
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 42
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 43
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 44
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 45
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 46
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 47
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 48
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 49
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 50
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 51
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 52
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 53
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 54
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 55
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 56
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 57
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 58
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 59
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 60
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 61
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 62
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 63
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 64
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 65
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 66
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 67
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 68
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 69
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 70
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 71
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 72
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 73
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 74
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 75
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 76
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 77
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 78
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 79
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 80
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 81
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 82
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 83
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 84
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 85
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 86
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 87
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 88
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 89
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 90
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 91
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 92
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 93
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 94
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 95
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 96
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 97
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 98
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 99
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 100
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 101
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 102
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 103
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 104
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 105
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 106
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 107
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 108
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 109
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 110
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 111
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 112
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 113
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 114
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 115
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 116
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 117
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 118
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 119
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 120
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 121
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 122
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 123
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 124
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 125
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 126
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 127
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 128
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 129
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 130
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 131
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 132
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 133
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 134
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 135
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 136
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 137
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 138
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 139
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 140
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 141
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 142
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 143
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 144
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 145
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 146
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 147
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 148
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 149
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 150
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 151
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 152
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 153
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 154
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 155
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 156
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 157
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 158
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 159
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 160
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 161
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 162
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 163
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 164
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 165
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 166
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 167
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 168
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 169
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 170
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 171
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 172
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 173
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 174
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 175
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 176
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 177
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 178
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 179
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 180
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 181
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 182
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 183
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 184
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 185
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 186
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 187
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 188
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 189
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 190
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 191
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 192
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 193
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 194
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 195
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 196
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 197
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 198
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 199
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 200
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 201
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 202
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 203
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 204
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 205
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 206
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 207
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 208
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 209
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 210
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 211
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 212
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 213
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 214
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 215
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 216
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 217
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 218
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 219
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 220
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 221
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 222
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 223
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 224
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 225
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 226
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 227
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 228
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 229
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 230
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 231
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 232
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 233
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 234
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 235
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 236
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 237
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 238
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 239
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 240
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 241
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 242
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 243
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 244
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 245
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 246
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 247
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 248
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 249
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 250
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 251
At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 252
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/yourbusiness2021
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/athomewithchrisjessen2018
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/athomewithsarahbeenyautumn2017
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/athomewithlorrainekelly2017
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/athomeparentingwithJoFrost2017
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/SarahBeenySpring2017
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/AskTheDoctorWithDrJessenFebruary2017
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/AtHomeWithTessDaly2016
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/Careers/YourBusinessWithJamesCaan2016
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/AtHomeWithGloriaHunnifordOctober2016
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/AtHomeWithSarahBeenyAutumn2016
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/AtHomeWithLorraineKelly2016
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/AtHomeWithJoFrostJune2016
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/AtHomeWithSarahBeenySpring2016
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/AtHomeWithDrChristianJessen2016
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/AthomeWithTessDaly2015
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/YourBusinessWithJamesCaanAutumn2015
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/AthomeWithSarahBeeny2015
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/AthomeWithGloriaHunniford2015
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/AtHomeLorraineKelly2015
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/JoFrost15
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/SarahBennyMay2015
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/OrthopaedicSupplementMarch2015
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/DrChristianJessenFeb2015
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/athomewithtessdaly
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/jobsandcareers2014
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/yourbusinesswithjamescaan
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/athomewithsarahbeeny
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/parentingjofrost
https://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/drchristianjessen
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/Athomelorrainekelly
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/Athomesarahbeeny
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/Cheers_2013
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/At_Home_Christmas_New_year_2013
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/At_Home_Exclusive_2013
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/At_Home_Jo_Frost_2013
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/At_Home_Carol_Vorderman_2013
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/At_Home_Christian_Jessen_2013
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/At_Home_Sarah_Beeny_2013
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/At_Home_Lorraine_Kelly_2013
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/At_Home_James_Martin_2012
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/At_Home_Jo_Frost_2012
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/At_Home_Dr_Chris_Steele_Sept_2012
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/At_Home_Sally_Gunnell_2012
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/At_Home_Sarah_Beeny_Aug_2012
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/At_Home_Lorraine-Kelly_2012
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/At_Home_Christian_Jessen_2012
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/At_Home_James_Martin_2011
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/At_Home_Sarah_beeny_winter_2011
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/Lorraine_Kelly_Nov_2011
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/At_Home_Marco_Pierre_White_2011
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/AtHome/Jo_Frost_July_2011
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/Lorraine_Kelly_June_2011/Lorraine_Kelly_June_2011
http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/AtHome/Sarah_Beeny_May_2011
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com