B2 – Upper Intermediate
The WHO warns that roughly one in six laboratory confirmed bacterial infections globally are now resistant to antibiotic treatments. From data collected between 2016 and 2023 across more than 100 countries, around 40 % of samples showed antibiotic resistance. It signals that investments in new antibiotics, better diagnostics and stronger stewardship of existing ones are becoming ever more critical.
Read the article to know why antibiotic resistance threatens to make common infections difficult or impossible to treat.
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-27204988
Vocabulary Questions:
- Explain what the term “post-antibiotic era” means. “Without urgent, coordinated action by many stakeholders, the world is headed for a post-antibiotic era.” Use the term in a sentence.
- What does “last-resort drug” mean? “One of them – carbapenem – is a so-called “last-resort” drug used to treat people with life-threatening infections such as pneumonia, bloodstream infections, and infections in newborns, caused by the bacteria K.pneumoniae.” Use the term in a sentence.
- What does “wake-up call” mean here, “Ultimately, WHO’s report should be a wake-up call to governments to introduce incentives for industry to develop new, affordable antibiotics that do not rely patents and high prices and are adapted to the needs of developing countries.” Use the phrase in a sentence.
Discussion Questions:
- Have you ever heard of antibiotic resistance before? What do you think it means?
- Why do you think some countries are experiencing higher levels of resistance than others?
- Do you think people are aware of the proper way to use antibiotics? Why or why not?
- How do you feel knowing that common infections may become harder to treat in the future?
- What steps do you think individuals or governments can take to help solve this problem?