The Growing Global Threat Of Antibiotic Resistance Ielts Reading Answers High Quality 〈100% Legit〉

Antibiotics are sometimes used solely to prevent infections (e.g., in livestock). Sentence Completion: The pharmaceutical industry often prioritizes drugs for chronic conditions (like asthma) over antibiotics because they are more profitable

Explanation: Paragraph E states: "We are entering what the World Health Organization has termed a 'post-antibiotic era'." This implies it is a future or beginning stage, not that it has "already begun in most countries." Antibiotics are sometimes used solely to prevent infections

In response to this threat, international bodies have launched coordinated efforts. The WHO’s Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance, adopted by member states in 2015, outlines five key objectives: to improve awareness and understanding of AMR, strengthen surveillance and research, reduce the incidence of infection through better hygiene, optimise the use of antimicrobials, and ensure sustainable investment in new medicines. The Interagency Coordination Group (IACG) has recommended the creation of an independent ‘One Health’ panel, recognising that human, animal, and environmental health are inseparable. Some countries have shown leadership: Sweden has one of the lowest antibiotic usage rates in Europe, while Australia banned the use of colistin – a last-resort antibiotic – in animal husbandry years before many other nations. costly (over $1 billion)

Compounding this crisis is the lack of new drug development. Creating a new antibiotic is scientifically challenging, costly (over $1 billion), and commercially unattractive. Pharmaceutical companies have little financial incentive because new antibiotics are typically reserved for emergency use to prevent resistance from developing, ensuring low sales volumes. Consequently, the pipeline for new antibiotics has run dry; no truly novel class of antibiotics has been discovered since the 1980s. ensuring low sales volumes. Consequently