Agony and the urge to pee: the growing evidence giving hope to chronic UTI sufferers

1 June 2024 at 16:00

An Australian discovery has added weight to a long-held theory about the painful condition – but relief for most patients is still elusive

After enduring years of experimental and unhelpful treatments in Australia to treat her chronic urinary tract infections, Grace* took the drastic measure of flying to the UK to seek help for symptoms so painful she “could barely walk down the street”.

While common and uncomplicated cases of the infections, known as UTIs, are usually easily treated with a short course of antibiotics, this often does not work for chronic, recurring cases like Grace’s. Left untreated, UTIs can cause permanent kidney damage and life-threatening infections.

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Huge number of deaths linked to superbugs can be avoided, say experts

The Guardian

Nicola Davis Science correspondent

23 May 2024 at 18:30

Models suggest deaths in poorer countries could be cut by 18% – or about 750,000 a year – with preventive measures

Every year 750,000 deaths linked to drug-resistant superbugs could be prevented through better access to clean water and sanitation, infection control and childhood vaccinations, research suggests.

Antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, is a huge global challenge, with the evolution of drug-resistant superbugs, driven by factors including inappropriate and excessive antibiotic use, raising the prospect of a future where modern medicine fails.

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UK pharmacists demand powers to change whooping cough prescriptions

The Guardian

Andrew Gregory Health editor

20 May 2024 at 10:51

Exclusive: Some pharmacies have turned away families because they have run out of the drug clarithromycin

Pharmacists are calling for fresh powers to provide patients with alternative prescriptions as they warned that drugs shortages are hampering their ability to tackle whooping cough.

More than 2,700 cases have been reported across England so far in 2024 – more than three times the number recorded in the whole of last year.

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Farm Animals Are Hauled All Over the Country. So Are Their Pathogens.

NYT: Science

Emily Anthes and Linda Qiu

20 May 2024 at 08:27

Tens of millions of farm animals cross state lines every year, traveling in cramped, stressful conditions that can facilitate the spread of disease.

The exact number of chickens, cows and pigs being transported on trucks, ships, planes and trains within the United States is difficult to pinpoint because there is no national system for tracking the movement of livestock.

The Guardian view on antimicrobial resistance: we must prioritise this global health threat | Editorial

The Guardian

Editorial

17 May 2024 at 13:30

Patients are already dying as wonder drugs lose their effectiveness. International action is urgently needed

As apocalyptic horror stories go, it’s up there with the scariest. Yet it’s not fiction writers but top scientists who are warning of how the world could look once superbugs develop resistance to the remaining drugs against them in our hospital pharmacies. Patients will die who can currently be cured; routine surgery will become dangerous or impossible. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – it happens not only with bacteria but also viruses, fungi and parasites – is one of the top global public health threats facing humanity, says the World Health Organization (WHO). It kills 1.3 million people and contributes to 5 million deaths every year, predicted to be 10 million by 2050. In addition to the appalling human toll, it will increase the strain on and costs of health services. But is it high enough up the agenda? Covid-19 knocked it off, and the climate crisis gets more attention. AMR does not so often get top billing.

This week efforts have been made to change that, with talks at the UN triggering wider coverage chronicling the sorry plight we are in. From the pharmaceutical industry to the WHO to NHS England, the same tune is being played: we are not doing enough to avert disaster.

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