Antibiotic resistance is now a ‘global public heath crisis', the Department of Health's chief medical officer has warned.

According to Dr Tony O'Holohan, we are at a stage in which ‘the developments of modern medicine, which all of us take for granted, are at risk.

"This is an era in which the dramatic falls in morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases we have witnessed are reversed, and simple infections once again become killer diseases, an era in which medical procedures such as neonatal care, hip and joint replacements, organ transplants and cancer therapies become impossibly dangerous because of the risks of associated infections which we cannot treat effectively," he said.

Dr O'Holohan made his comments at the fourth annual antibiotic awareness event to mark European Antibiotic Awareness Day 2014. It was supported by the Department of Health, the Department of Agriculture, the HSE, the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland (RCPI), the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) and the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU).

At the event, details were released about a new committee that has been set up jointly by the Departments of Health and Agriculture, in an attempt to tackle this issue.

The National Interdepartmental Antimicrobial Resistance Consultative Committee will work to develop ‘a unified approach to antimicrobial resistance, which spans people, animals and the wider environment', the Department of Health said.

It emphasised that the rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) will have major consequences for public health, animal health and food production.

AMR is resistance of a microorganism to an antimicrobial drug that originally treated infections caused by it. When microorganisms become resistant to these drugs, the drugs simply do not work anymore, allowing infections to persist.

Along with poor infection control, AMR is driven by the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. As a result, existing antibiotics are becoming less effective and new multi-resistant bacteria are emerging in both human and veterinary medicine. On top of this, few new antibiotics are in development.

Ireland currently has a high rate of AMR compared to other European countries and antibiotic use here is higher than the European average.

While the Departments of Health and Agriculture have been dealing with this issue in their own areas, this new interdepartmental committee will see them working much closer together to tackle the problem.

"It is important that there is communication and cooperation across the Health and Agriculture Departments in relation to this issue. Antibiotics are a hugely valuable resource to protect both human and animal health and our best chance at protecting them is by working together today to ensure that we have effective antibiotics tomorrow," commented Agriculture Minister, Simon Coveney.

Meanwhile, the IPU reminded people that antibiotics are only effective in treating bacterial infections and do not work on the common cold and other common illnesses, such as a sore throat, cough or sinus infection, as these are caused by viruses.

"It is up to all of us to play our part by taking responsibility for our own health and not using antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. By practising this self-care philosophy, we are safeguarding antibiotics for future generations," commented IPU president, Kathy Maher.

She added that leftover antibiotics should never be used again or shared with others.

For more information on how to treat common illnesses such as colds and ear aches, click here