Transcript

[TEXT ON SCREEN: What is a ‘superbug’?]

There is a constant arms race going on between doctors and the bacteria that they're trying to kill. A superbug is one that's got extra defences, extra abilities, to ignore the impact of antibiotics.

[TEXT ON SCREEN: What is the warning?]

The warning here is simple. The very last line of defence, the last drug doctors use when all other antibiotics has failed, no longer works, because bacteria become resistant to it.

[TEXT ON SCREEN: How big could the impact be?]

At the moment, some antibiotics can already be used to treat this infection. The concern is that it goes global, combines with other types of antibiotic resistance, to create truly untreatable infections. In that circumstance, you'll have infections that can no longer be treated, but also cancer therapies and things like surgery will no longer be effective.