The Growing Global Threat Of Antibiotic Resistance Ielts Reading Answers -

Tackling antibiotic resistance requires a multi-pronged ‘One Health’ approach that integrates human, animal, and environmental health strategies. Key measures include: enforcing prescription-only access, investing in rapid diagnostic tests to distinguish viral from bacterial infections, banning agricultural growth promoters, and creating international surveillance systems. Economic incentives for pharmaceutical companies, such as ‘subscription’ models where governments pay for access rather than volume, are also gaining traction. Public awareness campaigns remain vital, as many patients still pressure doctors for antibiotics despite knowing the risks.

The pharmaceutical industry has also contributed to the problem. Developing new antibiotics is expensive and, paradoxically, not very profitable. Since antibiotics are used for short durations and must be reserved to prevent resistance, companies struggle to recoup research costs. Consequently, the antibiotic pipeline has dried up. While 40 new antibiotics were approved between 1980 and 2000, only 12 have been approved since 2010. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified a ‘priority pathogen list’ of bacteria—including carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter and drug-resistant tuberculosis—for which no effective drugs remain in development. Public awareness campaigns remain vital, as many patients

A less visible but equally significant contributor is the widespread use of antibiotics in agriculture. Globally, more than 70% of all antibiotics are used in farm animals—not only to treat sick animals but also for growth promotion and disease prevention in crowded conditions. These antibiotics enter the environment through manure and water run-off, creating ‘reservoirs’ of resistant bacteria in soil and water systems. From there, resistance genes can transfer to human pathogens. Since antibiotics are used for short durations and