Infection Prevention and Control (CPD Accredited)

In all likelihood, antibiotic resistance will become one of the greatest public health challenges in this new century. It results from changes in bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites causing the initiation of mechanisms that make medications less potent or ineffective altogether. This development will threaten the efficacy of many antibiotics still used against ordinary and formerly curable infections, causing higher morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Antibiotic resistance is promoted by a complex combination of factors, including overuse and misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals as well as the spread of resistant pathogens across communities, healthcare environments, and the environment.