UN To Combat The Proliferation Of Drug-Resistant Superbug, A 'Fundamental Threat' To Humans

UN had held a high-level meeting regarding the drug-resistance superbugs. The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon stated that antimicrobial resistance is a "fundamental threat" to the global health and safety of humans.

Ban said in the general meeting that if they fail to resolve the problem of the drug-resistance bacteria quickly and comprehensively, the antimicrobial resistance will make providing high-quality universal health care coverage more difficult is not impossible. He further said that it will undermine sustainable food production and it will put the sustainable development goals in danger.

The Guardian reports that over 700,000 people die every year due to drug-resistant infections. The number could increase because there is no global system to observe these deaths. In the meeting, all 193 member states agreed to fight the spread of antibiotic resistance.

According to NBC News, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that in the United States, there are about more than two million people that are contaminated by drug-resistant germs every year and about 23,000 died of their infections.

Dr. Margaret Chan, the director-general of the UN's World Health Organization said that the antimicrobial resistance poses a fundamental threat to human health. "We are running out of time."

Jeffrey LeJeune, a professor and head of the food animal research program at Ohio University said that it is ironic that such small thing is causing such an enormous public threat. He further said that it is a global health threat that needs a global response.

Meanwhile, Sally Davies, the chief medical officer of the UK is urging the governments, health professionals, pharmaceuticals industry and the agricultural sector to heed their commitments to save modern medicine. She said that drug-resistant infections are firmly on the global agenda but now the real work begins. The other health issues tackled in the general assembly high-level meetings include Ebola, HIV/Aids and non-communicable diseases.