Background

Bacteria, tiny organisms capable of causing disease, are becoming resistant to our most powerful weapon against them: antibiotics. Humanity’s overuse of these life-saving drugs in medicine and agriculture has accelerated the rapid evolution of antibiotic resistance.

We are now facing an urgent global health crisis where we may no longer be able to rely on our most trusted medicines.

The exhibition explores how society is responding to the enormous challenge of antibiotic resistance, featuring scientific research from across the globe and the personal stories of those waging war on the superbugs.

What is Antibiotic Resistance?

Antibiotics are a collection of medications that fight bacterial infections in humans and animals. Antibiotic resistance results from bacteria adapting to survive medical treatments intended to kill them. This is naturally occurring as bacteria are incredibly adaptable and undergo extreme evolutionary change very quickly, allowing them to survive in harsh conditions.

The widespread use of antibiotics beginning in the 1940s opened new doors to modern medical treatments such as chemotherapy, organ transplants, hip and knee replacements, protecting premature babies, caesarean sections, pacemaker implantations and protections for people living with HIV. As bacteria continue to evolve resistance to antibiotics, we risk losing protection against simple bacterial infection and access to everyday medical procedures that we have been using for nearly a century. Currently, 700,000 people die from infections every year due to antibiotic resistant infections. By 2050, that figure is expected to rise past 10 million unless action is taken now.

Why the Exhibition ?

Antibiotics are becoming less effective as bacteria evolve, which is affecting everyone now and into the future. Hence, it is necessary to create awareness on the issue as awareness is empowerment.

• Bacteria are adapting to resist antibiotics critical to modern healthcare, meaning we can no longer destroy certain infections.

• Developing resistance to antibiotics is a natural evolutionary process for bacteria, but humanity’s overuse and misuse of antibiotics accelerates the process.

• Antibiotic resistance affects us all in many unexpected ways, from the food we eat to receiving prescriptions.

• Antibiotic resistance is an urgent issue now and needs to be addressed immediately.

• Scientists and others in diverse fields from around the world are working to tackle the issue in innovative ways.

• Innovation without large-scale collaboration and systemic change will not solve the complex problem of antibiotic resistance.

• Bacterial biology presents challenges and opportunities when addressing antibiotic resistance.