Despite the grim outlook, there are signs of progress. WHO’s Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) has grown significantly, from just 25 countries in 2016 to 104 countries reporting data in 2023. However, significant gaps remain. Nearly half of all countries still failed to submit AMR data last year, and many of those that did lack the laboratory infrastructure to track resistance accurately.
Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter, A–G, next to each question.
Filling in blanks using exact words from the text, adhering strictly to word counts (e.g., NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS ). Despite the grim outlook, there are signs of progress
"The Growing Global Threat of Antibiotic Resistance" (IELTS Mindset 3) details the rise of drug-resistant bacteria due to over-prescription, misuse, and agricultural practices. The text highlights horizontal gene transfer as a mechanism for rapid resistance spread and notes that the economic landscape discourages the development of new antibiotics. For a full review of the reading answers and passage, visit IELTS Material Global Threat of Antibiotic Resistance | PDF - Scribd
The growing global threat of antibiotic resistance Nearly half of all countries still failed to
Infections that were once easily treated—such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, and gonorrhea—are becoming increasingly difficult, and sometimes impossible, to treat. This results in prolonged hospital stays, higher medical costs, and increased mortality rates. Impact Beyond Healthcare
The ramifications of a post-antibiotic world are catastrophic to contemplate. Stripped of effective antimicrobials, humanity would regress to an era where a simple scratch could trigger fatal septicemia. Global health economic models estimate that without coordinated, aggressive intervention, AMR could claim upwards of 10 million lives annually by 2050, eclipsing the current global toll of cancer and costing the global economy over $100 trillion in lost productivity. Already, resistant strains of tuberculosis, malaria, and hospital-acquired infections like MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) are claiming hundreds of thousands of lives each year, predominantly impacting low- and middle-income regions with fragile medical infrastructures. Filling in blanks using exact words from the
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(Justification: Paragraph E names specific superbugs, including MDR-TB, XDR-TB, MRSA, and CRE.)
The rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is fundamentally a consequence of evolution. In any population of microorganisms, natural variation exists, and some bacteria may possess genes that allow them to survive exposure to an antibiotic. When a person takes an antibiotic, the drug typically kills the susceptible bacteria, but the resistant ones survive and multiply.
: There are now bacterial infections for which no effective antibiotic exists. Summary of the Informative Story