导语 抗生素类药物曾是人类对抗诸多疾病的一个“秘密武器”，但由于病菌对抗生素耐药性的不断增强，抗生素也逐渐走下了“神坛”，甚至成为未来医疗卫生领域的一个重大挑战。

关键词：科普；抗生素；译文；

(CNN) - Drug-resistant superbugs are as big a threat to the world as climate change or wars, Britain's Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned during a speech at Davos in which he unveiled a five-year action plan for the UK, and a 20-year vision, to tackle the threat of antimicrobial resistance by 2040.(CNN)

英国卫生部长马特·汉考克在达沃斯发表讲话时警告说，多重耐药性细菌对全球的威胁不亚于气候变化或战争，他在讲话中公布了英国的五年行动计划及二十年远景规划，到2040年之前遏制抗菌素耐药性的威胁。

'I could not look my children in the eyes unless I knew I was doing all in my power to solve this great threat,' Matt Hancock said during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland on Thursday.

马特·汉考克周四在瑞士世界经济论坛上发表演讲时表示，'除非我知道自己正在竭尽全力地解决这一巨大威胁，否则我无法直视孩子们的目光。'

'I shudder at the thought of a world in which their (antibiotics') power is diminished. Antimicrobial resistance is a big danger to humanity and is as big a danger as climate change or warfare.''

我一想到它们（抗生素）的力量正在减弱，就不寒而栗。抗生素耐药性对人类来说是一个巨大的危险，与气候变化或战争一样危险。'

Antibiotics are used to prevent bacterial infections related to a range of medical problems and procedures, such as surgery, but overusing them can lead to the bacteria becoming resistant. This has led to the development of superbugs -- bacteria that have become resistant to the main antibiotics used against them -- which present a major threat to global healthcare.

抗生素用于预防手术等一系列与医疗问题相关的细菌感染，但抗生素的过度使用会使细菌产生抗药性。这导致了超级细菌的发展-这些细菌已经对主要的抗生素产生了抗药性-严重威胁着全球的医疗领域。

Scientists believe that around 70% of bacteria that cause infections are already resistant to at least one antibiotic that would otherwise be used to combat it.

科学家们认为，造成感染的细菌中，大约70%已经对至少一种抗生素产生了耐药性，而这种抗生素本来是用来对抗感染的。

New drugs

新药

As part of a new 5-year plan in the UK, Hancock announced that the government will offer pharmaceutical companies incentives to develop 'urgently needed' new drugs.

作为英国新的五年计划的一部分，汉考克宣布，政府将向制药公司提供激励措施，鼓励开发'急需的'新药。

Current models mean companies are incentivized to sell as many antibiotics as possible at a time when the world is trying to reduce antibiotic use.

现行的模式意味着，在全球都在努力减少抗生素使用的情况下，企业却被鼓励销售尽可能多的抗生素。

Low returns on investment in developing drugs also mean the pharmaceutical 'industry does not innovate enough and as a result, very few of the new drugs that are currently in the pipeline are targeted towards priority infections,' according to a press release from the UK's Department of Health and Social Care.

开发药物的低投资回报率也意味着制药业'行业缺乏创新，因此，在目前正在研发的新药中，针对感染的寥寥无几，'英国卫生和社会保障部的一份新闻稿称。

The UK's National Health Service will also explore new payment models that focus on drugs of most value to the health system, such as drugs to treat infections already showing resistance.

英国国家卫生服务部门也将探索新的收费模式，重点关注那些对卫生系统最有价值的药物，如治疗已经出现耐药性感染的药物。

'Under the current market system, companies are paid for the number of drugs they produce rather than how valuable the drugs are to the NHS,' the department wrote.

该部门称：'在目前的市场制度下，制药公司是根据他们生产药品的数量而不是药品对国民健康的价值来收费的。'

Work to introduce a new payment model will be underway within six months, said Hancock, adding that this will encourage companies to invest in the 'estimated £1 billion needed to develop a new drug.'

汉考克表示，将在六个月内推出新的收费模式，并补充说，这将鼓励企业投资，'估计开发新药需要10亿英镑'。

'The increase in antibiotic resistance is a threat we cannot afford to ignore. It is vital that we tackle the spread of drug-resistant infections before routine operations and minor illnesses become life-threatening,' UK Prime Minister Theresa May said in response to the plan, in a statement released Thursday.'

抗生素耐药性的增加是一个我们不能忽视的威胁。我们必须在常规手术和轻微疾病危及生命之前解决耐药性感染的蔓延，'英国首相特蕾莎·梅在周四发表的回应该计划的一份声明中说。

At present, there are just 28 new projects in late-stage development worldwide, with very few new drugs making it onto the market each year.

目前，全球只有28个新项目处于后期开发阶段，每年投入市场的新药非常少。

Medical charity the Wellcome Trust welcomed news of the government plan but urged it to move quickly. 'If we are to bring the global threat of AMR under control, we must ensure that new antibiotics currently in development make it to the people who need them most,' Ed Whiting, Wellcome's Director of Policy, said in a statement to CNN.

医疗慈善机构Wellcome Trust对政府的计划表示欢迎，但敦促其迅速采取行动。'如果我们要控制抗生素耐药性的全球威胁，就必须确保目前正在研发的新抗生素能够满足最需要它们的人们的需求，'Wellcome政策总监埃德怀廷在给CNN的一份声明中表示。

'This plan makes a strong argument for continuing UK leadership on this important debate, but we must move further and faster to ensure there is a sustainable pipeline for the antibiotics we so urgently need,' he added.'

这一计划为英国在这场重要辩论中继续发挥领导作用提供了强有力的论据，但我们必须进一步加快步伐，以确保我们急需的抗生素有一个可持续的供应渠道，'他补充说。

Tackling antibiotic over-use

解决抗生素过度使用问题

The British government also plans to control and contain drug resistance within 20 years and reduce the use of antibiotics in humans by 15% over the next five years.

英国政府还计划在20年内控制和遏制耐药性，并在未来五年内减少15％抗生素的使用。

Since 2014, the UK has cut antibiotic use by more than 7%, but the number of drug-resistant bloodstream infections nonetheless increased by 35% between 2013 and 2017, Hancock said.

汉考克表示，自2014年以来，英国减少了7%以上的抗生素使用，但耐药性血液感染的数量在2013年至2017年间仍增加了35％。

In 2018, Public Health England reported the case of a UK man infected with a multidrug-resistant form of gonorrhea.

2018年，英国公共卫生部报告了一名英国男子感染多重耐药淋病的案例。

'With the emergence of drug-resistant infections like super-gonorrhoea posing serious threats to health, we need to protect the antibiotics we have by making sure they are used only when needed,' the Department of Health and Social Care said in a statement.'

超级淋病等耐药性感染的出现对健康造成了严重威胁，我们需要保护现有的抗生素，确保它们只在需要的时候使用，'卫生和社会保障部在一份声明中说。

Public Health England also warned last year that common procedures including caesarean sections and hip replacements could carry greater risks if antibiotic resistance and shortages of the drugs continue to grow.

英国公共卫生部门去年还警告说，如果抗生素耐药性和药物短缺继续增长，可能会给包括剖腹产和髋关节置换在内的常规手术带来更大的风险。

Hancock also announced a plan to work with vets and farmers to reduce antibiotic use in animals by 25%.

汉考克还宣布了一项与兽医和农民合作的计划，以减少25%的动物抗生素的使用。

'(AMR) not only affects human health, but threatens animal health and welfare and food security. Resistance occurs everywhere that bacteria are found: in people, in animals and in the environment,' Environment Secretary Michael Gove said in a statement.'

（抗生素耐药性）不仅影响人类健康，还威胁着动物的健康、福利以及食品安全。无论在人、动物还是环境中，只要发现细菌，就会产生耐药性。'环境大臣迈克尔·戈夫在一份声明中说。

Only three countries in WHO's African region and seven countries in its Americas region have limited the use of antimicrobials in animals, moves which WHO calls 'an important step to reduce the emergence of antimicrobial resistance.'

只有三个世卫组织非洲区域的国家和七个美洲区域的国家限制在动物身上使用抗生素，世界卫生组织称这是'减少抗菌素耐药性的重要步骤'。

There has been increasing urgency to tackle antibiotic resistance as drug-resistant bacteria are expected to kill 10 million people a year by 2050 -- that's one person every three seconds -- if nothing is done to solve the problem, according to the 2016 Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, commissioned by the British government.

解决抗生素耐药性的问题已变得越来越紧迫，根据英国政府委托进行的2016年抗生素耐药性审查，如果不采取措施解决这一问题，预计到2050年，耐药细菌每年将导致1000万人死亡，也就是每三秒钟就会有一个人死亡。

Countries around the world are taking a range of steps to tackle the issue, but the World Health Organization warns that 'serious gaps remain' and urgent action is needed.

世界各国正在采取一系列措施来解决这一问题，但世界卫生组织警告说，'仍然存在严重的差距'，需要采取紧急行动。

'Promising findings include 105 countries with a surveillance system in place for reporting drug-resistant infections in human health and 68 countries with a system for tracking consumption of antimicrobials,' the agency wrote last year.

该机构去年写道：'可喜的发现包括105个国家建立了监测系统，用来报告耐药性感染，68个国家建立了跟踪抗生素药物消费的系统。'

But antibiotics are easily available over the counter in many low- and middle-income countries, which means 'unregulated medicines are still available in places such as street markets, with no limits on how they are used,' it said.

但在许多低收入和中等收入国家，抗生素很容易买到，这意味着'在街头市场等地方仍然可以买到不受管制的药物，对它们的使用依旧没有限制，'报告称。

（责任编辑：李露）