We are heading into a post-antibiotic era, where common infections could once again be deadly.
A phenomenon known as antimicrobial resistance threatens the heart of modern medicine. It occurs when an antibiotic cannot do its job: kill bacteria. By 2050, antimicrobial resistance will cause 10 million human fatalities annually and lead to a US$100 trillion loss in GDP worldwide.
This is why global leaders gathered at the UN General Assembly this week to discuss the problem and accepted an action plan to address it.
To date the only other health topics discussed at this level are HIV, non-communicable diseases and Ebola.
Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies are not showing enough interest in new drug discovery because the time needed to test and validate new drugs. The meeting in New York is perfectly timed to escalate the issue to a level that befits the magnitude of the problem.
While the conversation on antibiotic resistance has started, one part of the story has not been highlighted.
The risks to human and ecosystem health are strongly connected to poor water quality.
After we take an antibiotic to treat bacterial infections, the resistant bacteria in our bodies are excreted and eventually reach a wastewater treatment plant. Sewers and treatment plants are the principal collectors of household and hospital waste, where mixtures of different types of bacteria create the optimal conditions for the spread of antibiotic resistance genes between bacteria.
Treatment plants bridge the gap between human and natural environments, so both resistant and non-resistant bacteria are able to reach the freshwater ecosystem.
By including wastewater to the global action plan, we might be able to slow down the process of developing and spreading antibiotic resistance.
While we advocate for awareness, policy and global standards at the individual level, you can also take action. At your next doctor’s visit, be informed about antibiotics and take them only with prescription and only if necessary.
l Caucci is a Researcher, UN University. This article first appeared in The Conversation