Australian health authorities are warning the world faces a post-antibiotic era where simple childhood illnesses could again become deadly.
The death of a woman in the United States in January from an infection that could not be treated by any antibiotics has left Australian health experts "deeply alarmed".
In a strongly worded editorial in the Medical Journal of Australia, president of the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases, Professor Cheryl Jones, said the woman's death "may herald a post-antibiotic era in which high-level antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is widespread, meaning that common pathogens will be untreatable".
Australia has one of the highest rates of antibiotic use in the world.
While the Federal Government has introduced measures to curb the use of antibiotics, experts said more needed to be done to limit the unrestrained use of antibiotics and to monitor superbugs coming into Australia from international travellers or imported food.
The Australian Medical Association has called for the urgent establishment of an Australian National Centre for Disease Control, similar to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with a focus on current and emerging disease threats.
Health experts will gather to discuss antibiotic resistance at a summit in Melbourne on June 29.
