World Health Organization: Drug resistance has now spread worldwide, new antibiotics needed

LONDON – The World Health Organization says bacteria resistant to antibiotics have spread to every part of the world and might lead to a future where minor infections could kill.

In its first global survey of the resistance problem, WHO said it found very high rates of drug-resistant E. coli bacteria, which causes problems including meningitis and infections of the skin, blood and the kidneys. WHO’s report released Wednesday also found worrying rates of resistance in other bacteria, including common causes of pneumonia and gonorrhea.

Dr. Keiji Fukuda, one of the agency’s assistant director-generals, says that urgent action is needed. Otherwise, he says, “the world is headed for a post-antibiotic era in which common infections and minor injuries which have been treatable for decades can once again kill.”