Lurking behind the horror of Covid-19, many scientists are increasingly concerned about the rising inefficacy of antibiotics against harmful bacteria.
The drugs have been a mainstay treatment in modern medicine for almost 100 years. The crisis is so severe that some microbiologists say resistance to them is a greater risk to long-term public health than Covid-19. Professor of medical microbiology at Oxford University Tim Walsh describes the current pandemic as a "short, sharp earthquake" and antibiotic resistance the "massive tsunami".
There have been over 2 million deaths from Covid-19 in just under a year. In a parallel crisis that does not involve the virus, one and a half million have died as a result of infections against which antibiotics no longer work.
Growing resistance to the drugs threatens our ability to treat medical issues of all degrees of severity. Even those undergoing routine surgery could be in mortal danger of infection. Health systems across the planet, when the burden of Covid-19 eventually starts to lift, will face a backlog of operations of this kind from hip replacements to gastric bands. The phenomenon also threatens animals and plants.
Resistance happens when a bacteria or fungi are no longer eliminated by an antibiotic. This is fuelled by doctors overprescribing, as well as patients demanding them unnecessarily. It will make the treatment of many conditions far more complex, expensive, time-consuming and toxic, further burdening struggling healthcare systems around the world.
Ineos, a major chemicals company, has just given Oxford University almost $140 million to create an institute to help tackle the problem.
Nations must now follow suit. Allowing this crisis to deteriorate would be an inexcusable failure of the global community. While the response of many countries to the current pandemic has been underwhelming, Covid-19 caught us off guard. This is not the case for antibiotic resistance, which is a threat we have known about for years.
Chemicals giant Ineos has made one of the largest donations in the history of British universities to fund a new institution to fight antibiotic resistance at Oxford University. Getty Images
Even those undergoing routine surgery could be in mortal danger of infection
There are some similarities between the two crises. Germs do not respect national borders, so incompetence in just one country impacts the entire globe.
Personal selfishness also worsens the crisis. Much like choosing not to wear a mask risks prolonging the pandemic, failing to complete a course of antibiotics or demanding them when they are unnecessary produces the ideal circumstance for resistant bacteria to develop.
A solution lies partly in scientific innovation, advanced by institutions such as Oxford's. A more comprehensive approach will require governments across the globe to shape policy, as well educate their citizens on the dangers of incorrectly using these crucial drugs.
Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin, the first antibiotic, in 1928 was one of the most significant moments in scientific history. It granted medics a chance to fight some of the deadliest diseases at a relatively low cost. This achievement, not even a hundred years after its discovery, risks being squandered without immediate action.
Covid-19 is commanding the attention of the global medical community. This is not an excuse to take our eyes off the ball on other threats. Antibiotic resistance is a foremost danger on which doctors should be focusing.
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 640hp
Torque: 760nm
On sale: 2026
Price: Not announced yet
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
Travel distance: Limited
Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
Duration: Can linger for days
Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
