Report says there is 'a genuine threat of humanity returning to an era where mortality due to common infections is rife'

This article is more than 7 years old

This article is more than 7 years old

The growth of antibiotic-resistant infections represents a "looming public health issue" for Australia that requires "urgent" new funding to prevent deaths from minor ailments such as sore throats and cut knees, the country's top scientist has warned.

A report by the Office of the Chief Scientist (pdf) states there is "a genuine threat of humanity returning to an era where mortality due to common infections is rife".

The paper blames the "misuse and overuse" of antibiotics, such as for animal husbandry, for driving up resistance levels in humans.

"Some bacteria are now so resistant that they are virtually untreatable with any of the currently available drugs," the report says.

"If we do not take action to address this threat, humankind will be on the brink of a 'post-antibiotics era', where untreatable and fatal infections become increasingly common.

"In Australia, the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant infections appearing in the community and acquired during international travel represents a looming public health issue."

The report points to a "collapse" in research and development into new antibiotics as an area of significant concern.

"Only one antibiotic that works in a novel way has been discovered and developed for use in humans in the last 50 years," the study says.

"Most companies have now either abandoned the field or are in the process of reducing their commitment. Whilst some cancer medicines are sold for $20,000 a course, we still expect to pay $20 for a course of antibiotics."

Most of the antibiotics currently used in Australia are derived from microbes, such as fungi, viruses and bacteria. While scientists have long anticipated bacteria to evolve resistance, the report points out that this process is accelerating, aided by misuse in animals and the liberal prescription for viral infections in people.

The outcome of this, the chief scientist warns, is a scenario where illnesses such as strep throat infections or minor cuts could prove fatal.

"Antibiotic resistance has the potential to become one of the world's biggest public health challenges, requiring a serious response from our scientists, our industries and the community at large," says professor Ian Chubb, Australia's chief scientist.

Michael Moore, the chief executive of the Public Health Association of Australia, told Guardian Australia it was "brilliant" that the chief scientist had identified antibiotic resistance as a problem.

"There have been warnings from scientists and those in the health fraternity for a number of years, so to have the gravitas of the chief scientist behind this should be a wake-up call for Australia," he says.

"We are already seeing people with antibiotic resistance dying in Australia. Because there is so little R&D in the pipeline, it's likely to get worse before it gets better.

"We are a developed country with good nutrition, immunisation and clean water, so there are other factors to our public health. But we have got into a habit of not worrying about infections because of antibiotics.

"We need clear restrictions on last-line antibiotics so that they aren't used on animals. We also need to look at how often they are prescribed for humans. There needs to be pressure put on pharmaceutical companies for greater R&D, but the government has a role to control when and where antibiotics are used."