We need to deal with environment pollution to prevent superbugs developing

[View in browser]( [Mail & Guardian]( M&G Mornings | Thu 16 Feb   [Ozayr Patel] Antimicrobials are a game-changer; they’re superweapons. The medications prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants. They save lives. Without them, it would be catastrophic. So what happens when diseases find a way to evade medication? Antimicrobial-resistant superbugs have the ability to dilute the effectiveness of antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics. What causes this? Environmental pollution is one source. Pharmaceuticals, chemicals and pesticides used in the health, agriculture and food sectors enter the environment. If, for example, antimicrobials leak into the environment in sewage, then bacteria, viruses and parasites become resistant to them. What’s worse is that people are affected unequally. Like everything else, the poor are hit the hardest. Take the example of women working in agriculture; they may not be given protective equipment yet work with chemicals. What can be done? Systems must be improved. Pharmaceutical companies must ensure their waste is properly managed. The agriculture sector must use less harmful chemicals and stop discharging pollutants. Leaders of local government and relevant government departments must ensure wastewater is treated effectively and not dumped into the environment. There’s a reason the World Health Organisation lists antimicrobial resistance as one of the top 10 threats to global health. Sign up to the Green Guardian, our environmental newsletter [here](. Ozayr Patel | Climate & Environment Editor [@Ozayr8]( Premium [DA must keep EFF out of power, even if it means coalition with the ANC says Hill-Lewis]( Cape Town mayor says his party must do all it can to thwart ANC-EFF coalition efforts as the latter will destroy South Africa if in power Join thousands of South Africans who want a more just South Africa. Read past party lines, past the bluster and the distortion. 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Plus - Preferential access to Mail & Guardian events - Get daily conversation starters straight into your inbox - An invitation to join the newsroom’s Review session on Friday mornings - Lend your expertise and experience to the stories we tell [// Read more]( Pic of the day Deborah Segun – Codependency. 2020. Acrylic on Canvas. The 2023 Investec Cape Town Art Fair explores art through the notion of time in its 10th edition at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( Mail & Guardian Media LTD · 25 Owl St · Braamfontein · Johannesburg, Gauteng 2001 · South Africa