Phage advice
Last week, the British medical press reported that Poland is in fact a world leader (along with Georgia) when it comes to the application of phages. In a nutshell, these are friendly viruses that infect and kill only bacteria and which, like plant viruses, are harmless to humans. They were first used to treat bacterial infections in people 85 years ago, but then came penicillin and antibiotics, and phages were largely forgotten in the West.
Now, however, UK hospitals are struggling to cope with a new threat: 'superbugs' which kill up to 5,000 people a year in Britain alone and cause serious illness and the need for amputations in tens of thousands more. These bugs are highly resistant to modern antibiotics. Horror stories proliferate of people stepping on a nail, going to the hospital, getting infected with a bug that doesn't respond to conventional treatment, and losing their foot-to name one.
On the Forefront
At last, it seems, Poland's research into phages is starting to gain publicity. A report published four years ago showed that when 1,307 patients infected with 'multi-drug resistant bacteria of different species' were treated with phages, an impressive 85 percent made a full recovery. The Polish researchers managed to isolate a number of the particularly resilient bacteria responsible for the havoc in British hospitals.
Why is the West is so far behind Poland in phage therapy? Well, because they've been around for so long, individual phages can't be patented. But without the guaranteed returns that intellectual property rights usually bring when new treatments are developed, drug companies are unwilling to invest money in medical improvements from which anybody can benefit.
Leading microbiologists in the UK complain that not only are the drug companies showing no interest, but neither is the British government. When one biochemist pointed out the Polish research to Britain's healthcare officials, he was told that it was 'useful but disappointing,' because the study had not been conducted as a controlled trial. Nevertheless, he was reassured that the British government is partly-funding phage research into its application in... poultry farming.
Follow the leader
The USA, which has a much bigger superbug problem, is also paying more attention to phage therapy, although it still lags far behind Poland and Georgia. Other countries seriously looking at the treatment include Israel, India and Germany.
In the meantime, word is spreading fast. For those in the West who go to the hospital and come out with a worse infection than the one they had when they went in, heading east for a health break is sage advice. For those of us already here, it gives us something to shout about regarding Polish healthcare.
Now, however, UK hospitals are struggling to cope with a new threat: 'superbugs' which kill up to 5,000 people a year in Britain alone and cause serious illness and the need for amputations in tens of thousands more. These bugs are highly resistant to modern antibiotics. Horror stories proliferate of people stepping on a nail, going to the hospital, getting infected with a bug that doesn't respond to conventional treatment, and losing their foot-to name one.
On the Forefront
At last, it seems, Poland's research into phages is starting to gain publicity. A report published four years ago showed that when 1,307 patients infected with 'multi-drug resistant bacteria of different species' were treated with phages, an impressive 85 percent made a full recovery. The Polish researchers managed to isolate a number of the particularly resilient bacteria responsible for the havoc in British hospitals.
Why is the West is so far behind Poland in phage therapy? Well, because they've been around for so long, individual phages can't be patented. But without the guaranteed returns that intellectual property rights usually bring when new treatments are developed, drug companies are unwilling to invest money in medical improvements from which anybody can benefit.
Leading microbiologists in the UK complain that not only are the drug companies showing no interest, but neither is the British government. When one biochemist pointed out the Polish research to Britain's healthcare officials, he was told that it was 'useful but disappointing,' because the study had not been conducted as a controlled trial. Nevertheless, he was reassured that the British government is partly-funding phage research into its application in... poultry farming.
Follow the leader
The USA, which has a much bigger superbug problem, is also paying more attention to phage therapy, although it still lags far behind Poland and Georgia. Other countries seriously looking at the treatment include Israel, India and Germany.
In the meantime, word is spreading fast. For those in the West who go to the hospital and come out with a worse infection than the one they had when they went in, heading east for a health break is sage advice. For those of us already here, it gives us something to shout about regarding Polish healthcare.
