Drug-resistant superbugs emerging from war zones threaten global health
Experts warn that ongoing wars will impact public health worldwide due to the development of drug-resistant bacteria amid dire humanitarian conditions. Current treatment methods are insufficient to address this growing crisis.
A "Politico" article highlights the dire situation in the Gaza Strip. There, medical professionals face severe shortages of medicine, forcing them to resort to drastic measures, such as amputating the limbs of wounded children, to stave off infections and save lives.
The Gaza Strip is considered a breeding ground for superbugs that are resistant to standard antibiotics. Experts claim that the spread of these bacteria from the Palestinian enclave and other war zones, such as Ukraine, will pose one of the greatest public health threats in the coming years.
I see everything leading to a disastrous upsurge of resistance in Gaza, and it will definitely spill over to the hospitals in the region. In no time, if not already, it will be in Europe, the U.S., in the east, the south. It’s going to be everywhere, said Hanan Balkhy, regional director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Eastern Mediterranean region, in an interview with "Politico".
A nightmare forecast from an expert. "They will spread worldwide"
Researchers argue that the conditions in the Gaza Strip are virtually ideal for the spread of dangerous bacteria, which can pose a hazard to the global population.
People don’t understand that this is not something that will affect only Gaza. It will affect the globe, Israel being the first affected party due to the spillover, emphasized Antoine Abou Fayed, a microbiologist from the American University of Beirut.
Gaza might be the most dangerous breeding ground for drug-resistant bacteria in the world, but it’s not the only one, added Hanan Balkhy.
