Scientists sound alarm over Pakistan’s antibiotic crisis
At KU awareness week, specialists highlight rising resistance, misuse of antibiotics and gaps in policy KARACHI: As the world edges towards a future where routine infections may once again become deadly, experts at a seminar held at the University of Karachi (KU) have warned that Pakistan is already witnessing the tremors of a looming medical emergency i.e. the rapid rise of antibiotic resistance. “If global trends remain unchanged, drug-resistant infections could overtake all other causes of death by 2050—driving the economic burden from today’s USD 66 billion to an alarming USD 159 billion,” a KU press release quoted the speakers as saying. KU’s Department of Microbiology organised the seminar, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) during the United Nations–declared Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week. Featuring the talks, panel discussion and student competitions, experts urged immediate action to enhance the public understanding of how human be...