Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Costs Canada Over $1 Billion A Year

Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Costs Canada Over $1 Billion A Year
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A team of health-care professionals estimated that the antibiotic-resistance bacteria represent an issue that costs Canada $1 billion a year, draining health-care budgets and postponing the treatment of infections. Even more, Infection Prevention and Control Canada (IPAC) believes that the cost tag of antibiotic resistance will keep on rising, while the federal government doesn’t take any reliable actions to counteract it.

“The problem is not going away. It’s actually increasing,” said Dr. Joseph Kim, IPAC’s physician director, for CTV News.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a very concerning issue, lately, as these so-called superbugs do not respond to conventional antibiotic treatment anymore, causing lots of health problems.

“Even a simple thing like treating a urinary tract infection – now we’re having to rely on an alternate line of treatment because we’re running out of antibiotic options. That wasn’t so much the case even ten years ago,” continued Dr. Kim.

Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Costs Canada Over $1 Billion A Year

According to the research, about 700,000 people die worldwide due to these so-called superbugs. Additionally, the World Health Organization named antibiotic-resistant bacteria as “one of the largest global health threats in existence.”

“The data that we have on the scope and breadth of the antibiotic resistance in Canada is not as comprehensive as it should be. We actually don’t know what’s happening in some of the smaller hospitals, some of the community hospitals, long-term care centers and so forth,” added Dr. Joseph Kim during an interview with CTV News.

According to the researchers, antibiotics are still overprescribed in Canada by as much as 50 percent. However, approximately 90 percent of these medications are prescribed outside of hospitals so tracking it is challenging.

Last year, the Pan-Canadian Framework for Action rolled out as one of the measures to tackle antibiotic resistance.

“The Framework identifies opportunities for action and desired outcomes under four pillars: surveillance, stewardship, infection prevention and control, and research and innovation,” a spokesperson for the Public Health Agency of Canada said.


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