Antibiotic-resistant viruses: Swiss Re dreads pandemic risk

A compilation of data, conducted by the Swiss reinsurer, indicates that in 2013, more than 131,000 tons of antibiotics were produced worldwide. By 2030, this quantity could exceed 200,000 tons. This production problem is exacerbated by the fact that viruses and bacteria adapt and mutate to become more resistant.

In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service invested in 2013, more than 230.34 million USD in new antibiotics effective against super-viruses. In the same year, the United States spent 20 billion USD on the same process and recorded 35 billion USD in lost productivity due to the resistance of viruses and microorganisms to antibiotics.

For Swiss Re, the risk of a pandemic becomes real if antibiotics fail to counter the super-viruses.

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