德國臘腸桿菌事件的教訓: 抗生素濫用的後果

Inside Europe | 11.06.2011 | 07:05

What lessons can be drawn from Europe’s E.coli scare?

While EU diplomats and farmers struggle to contain the economic fallout of the EHEC crisis, scientists have been brooding over this vicious strain of E.coli which is reportedly resistant to antibiotics.

Now, for a long time antibiotics were regarded as the panacea for infectious diseases. But their use and misuse have resulted in a growing number of resistant bacteria. And this is now a significant health problem: every year over 25,000 people in Europe die from infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. So, what lessons can we draw from the current EHEC crisis for the future treatment and prevention of infectious diseases, especially if one of the strongest weapons in our arsenal is getting blunter by the day. Neil King put that question to Dr Claudia Stein, the Director of Research and Innovation at the World Health Organisation’s European office in Copenhagen.