Global superbug fight 'needs $5b a year'
Rising antibiotic resistance is triggering the emergence of superbugs that can cause life-threatening infections, such as MRSA or drug-resistant tuberculosis.
A global fund of $5billion a year is needed to tackle drug-resistant infections, according to predictions by a team of international scientists.
Rising antibiotic resistance is triggering the emergence of superbugs that can cause life-threatening infections, such as MRSA or drug-resistant tuberculosis.
Writing in the journal Science, researchers called for a World Bank Trust Fund to co-ordinate the response to this growing public health crisis.
The annual sum of $5b will be required to develop global systems to monitor resistance and establish a framework to address the threat, they added. It could also speed up the development of new vaccines, diagnostics and treatments, in addition to regulatory processes to ensure medicines are used appropriately.
The group also recommended introducing targets to cut the number of resistant infections over the next five years and putting global limits on antibiotic use. In particular, they believe the use of antibiotics to promote the growth of farmed animals should be phased out across the globe.
In addition, improved access to clean water, sanitation and public health infrastructure, will reduce the spread of disease and the overall need for antibiotics, scientists argued.
Professor Mark Woolhouse from the University of Edinburgh, who took part in the research, added: "Drug resistance knows no borders, as we have seen with the spread of superbugs around the world.
"It is crucial that nations come together with appropriate financing and governance to tackle this challenge together."
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
