The return of the black plague? Super bugs 'could lead to worldwide health crisis'

On the surface we seem to be making leaps and bounds when it comes to medical advances, but experts have issued a stark warning that our ever-increasing resilience to antibiotics could be the cause of 'a new black plague'.

Hospitals are cleaner than ever, with anti-bacterial soap use actively encouraged on entering and leaving a ward. Indeed, death rates from the once notorious hospital super bug MRSA have fallen by an incredible 80 per cent since 2008.  

But there’s a new threat facing the NHS and the nation, which is proving more and more difficult to ignore - drug-resistant super bugs.

Researchers fear that, as we use antibiotics so often in our everyday lives, bugs are adapting to beat them. 

The World Health Organisation this week said certain treatments are becoming less effective.  

The concern is so high, medical professionals across the country are now warning that if things carry on as they are even simple routine hospital procedures could have the potential to kill.

"There are bacteria around now, drug-resistant bacteria, capable of causing a plague," said Laura Piddock, professor of microbiology at the University of Birmingham.

Bacterial infections such as tuberculosis were virtually wiped out, but now they are on the increase.  

Cases of drug-resistant TB have seen a six-fold increase in the past six years.  

Difficult to treat sexually transmitted diseases are on the increase too. 

"You’ll also see a rise in intestinal disease like e.coli," warns Mark Fielder, professor of medical microbiology at Kingston.

"A growth in surgical site infections will mean that previously standard knee or hip operations are likely to become life-threatening procedures."

Experts point to several interesting projects going on at the moment where a lot of new antibiotics are being discovered.

How to avoid getting ill in hospital

There are some simple steps you can make to help prevent bacterial infection and support your immunity. 

Sharon Morey, nutritionist at Quest Vitamins, said: "Gut flora and the immune system are intrinsically linked. 

"Patients going in to hospital will be exposed to lots of different bacteria, making infection more likely.  

"To help protect yourself, ensure a positive balance of beneficial gut bacteria by using a probiotic. This will give your immune system a fighting chance of beating off the majority of opportunistic pathogens. 

"Probiotics also benefit from the fact that they can be used alongside traditional antibiotics."

How to boost your immune system

Beta glucans are molecules found in the cell walls of plants, fungi, bacteria and yeasts. When they enter our bodies through the digestive system, they can bind to our immune cells. 

If the immune cells recognise beta glucans that could come from a harmful microorganism, such as a fungus or yeast, they are stimulated to multiply and increase their activity, ramping up our protective defenses against attack. 

The problem is that, with our modern over-sanitised environments and food supplies, we are rarely exposed to the yeasts, moulds and bacteria that should keep our immune system active in this way. Highly purified beta 1,3-1,6 glucans provided in supplement form "trick" the body into thinking it is under attack, and safely stimulate our immune system.

Quest Vitamins Immune System Biotix is £18.99 from all good health stores and online at questexcellence.com.