DANGEROUS superbugs that previously had been found only in hospitals are starting to spread throughout the community, putting lives at risk.
The state and federal governments are so concerned by the rise in infections they have commissioned an expert group to try to stop it, the Herald has learnt.
The chairman of the Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, John Turnidge, said the Antimicrobial Resistance Subcommittee would have its findings reported to state and federal health ministers. “People in a position with the authority to make changes are now saying we have got to make changes,” Professor Turnidge said.
“The high level of antibiotic use in the community is fuelling the carriage of these [resistant strains] to a … level that didn’t exist before,” Professor Turnidge said.
