Prevention has to be better than cure
12 March 2013
Meningitis Research Foundation welcomes the current debate on antibiotic resistant super-bugs. It’s a timely reminder of why we are so passionate about preventing serious diseases like meningitis and septicaemia – funding vital vaccine research, launching a genome library for scientists and campaigning for immunisation.
Dame Sally Davies, the UK’s Chief Medical Officer has highlighted the“catastrophic threat” to the nation posed by antibiotic resistant bacteria. We agree. Many of our members know first-hand how crucial effective antibiotics are: without them they wouldn’t be here today. Fortunately most meningitis-causing bacteria are currently susceptible to antibiotics, but as Dame Sally explains, we won’t be able to rely on this in the future.
Preventing infectious diseases by vaccinating reduces the number of people requiring antibiotics, which is why immunisation remains our priority.
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