Antimicrobial resistance __ an apocalypse waiting to happen

He said five out of ten sanitiser dispensers in our hospitals are empty and without proper sanitisation, infection would be rampant.

Deyalsingh said microbial resistance is a global concern because new resistance mechanisms are emerging and spreading globally, threatening the ability to treat common infectious diseases resulting in prolonged illness, disability and even death.

He said microbial resistance increased the cost of health care with lengthier stays in hospitals and more intensive care required.

Deyalsingh was speaking at a seminar on Antibiotic Resistance: Organisms and Organisations, at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex on Monday night.

Antimicrobial resistance happens when micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites change when they are exposed to drugs such as antibiotics.

Micro-organisms that developed resistance are sometimes referred to as “super bugs.” As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others.

Deyalsingh said without effective antimicrobials for the prevention and treatment of infections, medical procedures such as organ transplantation, cancer chemotherapy, diabetes management and other major surgeries such as Caesarian-sections and hip replacements became very high risk.

He said antimicrobial resistance has the capacity to take pure medicine back to the Stone Age where humans could start dying from the common cold.

“Imagine a world where common STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) were now incurable. Imagine a world where you have to perform a simple extraction of tooth that then becomes infected, there will be no antibiotic to cure your patient and your patient will die.

“That is the reality as we ignore all the warning signs. Do we as a society, no matter how small, sit idly by and wait for this apocalypse to hit us, or do we take responsibility now for our future?” Deylasingh said no new antibiotics have been invented in the last 30 years because there was no investment in antibiotics.

“Is this the ranting of a mad man, or is there empirical evidence that Trinidad and Tobago was almost on the brink of a possible antibacterial resistance stronghold.