We read a lot in the media about antibiotic resistance and what would happen if antibiotics stopped working. Well here are a few facts you should be aware of;
- It has been estimated that antibiotics have increased average life expectancy in the developed world by as much as 20 years
- Before antibiotics, 90% of children with bacterial meningitis died. Among those children who lived, most had severe and lasting disabilities, from deafness to mental health issues
- Every year, thousands of children died of infectious diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis
- Before antibiotics infant mortality – deaths of children before their first birthday – was around one in 20. It is now 3.5 deaths per 1000 live births, an astonishing improvement partly down to the discovery of antibiotics
- Before antibiotics, a simple scratch or graze could kill
The tables below outline what would happen if antibiotics stopped working. They show all the medical conditions that are impacted by antibiotics. Without effective antibiotics everyone of these medical treatments or conditions would become much more risky or even impossible.
