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Antibiotic resistance poses biggest threat
Image: Dame Sally Davies
Chief medical officer calls for government to take resistance seriously

The government's chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies has described antibiotic resistance as a "ticking time bomb". She has urged the government to raise the issue at next month's G8 Summit in London, warning that routine operations could become deadly within 20 years.

"If we don't take action, then we may all be back in an almost 19th Century environment where infections kill us as a result of routine operations," she said. "We won't be able to do a lot of our cancer treatments or organ transplants."

She added that over-use of antibiotics in livestock as well as humans is contributing to the issue. This is coupled with a lack of new antibiotics being developed by pharmaceutical companies.

Dame Sally said: "We haven't had a new class of antibiotics since the late 80s," something which she blames on the lack of financial incentives for manufacturing companies.

A five-year UK Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy is soon to be published, and will advocate the responsible use of antibiotics as well as stronger surveillance methods. The chief medical officer said antimicrobial resistance will be put on the government's national risk register of civil emergencies, along with other potential threats such as terrorist attacks and major flooding.

The Alliance to Save our Antibiotics has welcomed these warnings, and further asserted that the government has still not faced up to the problems caused by antibiotic use on farms. In a report published yesterday, the alliance has contradicted the government's claims that there is no evidence that this contributes to human resistance.

The alliance has called for a range of measures, including a ban on the use of fluoroquinolones in poultry, and modern cephalosporins in poultry, pigs and cattle.

Dame Sally is not the first chief medical officer to warn of the dangers of antibiotic resistance. Liam Donaldson, her predecessor in 2008 urged doctors not to prescribe antibiotics to treat colds, and Sir Kenneth Calman made a similar plea as early as 1999.

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

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News Shorts
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."