The widespread use of antibiotics in recent years has meant these medicines have become less effective and created the emergence of “superbugs”. These are strains of bacteria that have developed resistance to many different types of antibiotics. The impact of these superbugs could be wide ranging and damaging to global health and development. In cases where antibiotic resistance has happened it makes infections much harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread and severe illness. The World Health Organisation has declared that antimicrobial resistance is one of the top ten global public health threats facing humanity.
Therefore, I particularly welcome the work of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Antibiotics in this area and I agree that this issue should be taken extremely seriously.
In 2019, the UK 20-Year Vision for antimicrobial resistance was published, outlining a range of targets and three key methods for tackling the issue:
- Reducing the need and exposure to antimicrobials
- Optimising the use of antimicrobials
- Investing in innovation, supply, and access.
Alongside this, a five-year national action plan was released in May 2022, aiming to build on the progress already made. With the aim to ensure that antimicrobial resistance is controlled and contained by 2040. The plan also sets out measures of success to ensure progress towards the 20-year vision:
- Halve healthcare associated Gram-negative bloodstream infections
- Reduce the number of specific drug-resistant infections in people by 10 per cent by 2025
- Reduce UK antimicrobial use in humans by 15 per cent by 2024
- Reduce UK antibiotic use in food-producing animals by 25 per cent between 2016 and 2020 and define new objectives by 2021 for 2025
- Be able to report on the percentage of prescriptions supported by a diagnostic test or decision support tool by 2024
At the start of 2023 the Government conducted a consultation to plan the next stage of tackling antimicrobial resistance. The Government is analysing responses and will respond in due course.
I will continue to follow developments around this issue, and I am encouraged by the work of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Antibiotics.