To: UK Government
Give us a UK Minister to tackle deadly superbugs
As a matter of urgency, we want the UK Government to appoint a Minister with the specific task of tackling superbugs and preparing for pandemics
Why is this important?
Superbugs and viral pandemics pose two of the biggest threats to global health, alongside climate change and terrorism.
The scale, complexity, and seriousness, of these threats urgently require leadership, visibility, and accountability - as well as an elected representative with the ability to work across Government departments and all areas of health and science (factory farming, for example, is already a major focus for those working on superbug prevention - and is considered one of the most likely causes of the next influenza pandemic).
The unprecedentedly heavy - and uncoordinated - use of different antibiotics to fight secondary bacterial infections linked to COVID-19 will speed selection for multi-drug resistant superbugs. If we fail to take decisive action now, drug-resistant infections could prove more catastrophic, and more difficult to solve, than the current pandemic - or subsequent ones.
The scale, complexity, and seriousness, of these threats urgently require leadership, visibility, and accountability - as well as an elected representative with the ability to work across Government departments and all areas of health and science (factory farming, for example, is already a major focus for those working on superbug prevention - and is considered one of the most likely causes of the next influenza pandemic).
The unprecedentedly heavy - and uncoordinated - use of different antibiotics to fight secondary bacterial infections linked to COVID-19 will speed selection for multi-drug resistant superbugs. If we fail to take decisive action now, drug-resistant infections could prove more catastrophic, and more difficult to solve, than the current pandemic - or subsequent ones.
