Pharmaceutical companies must invent new antibiotics – or it will be worse than Covid

Letters to the editor: our readers share their views. Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

‘Pharmaceutical companies must be more creative and invent new antibiotics’ (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Danilo Lo Fo Wong is right to suggest that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is another silent pandemic that poses an existential threat to humankind. AMR could practically cause more horrifying repercussions than Covid-19 and potentially climate change too.

Simple surgical procedures like tooth extraction could result in septicemia and eventually death, so pharmaceutical companies must be more creative to invent new antibiotics. But this won’t stamp out the crisis until we use existing antibiotics more astutely, whether for humans or animals.

Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob

London

Levelling up

Given the news of the severely paired-back plans for the highly contentious HS2 rail project, a thought came to mind. At the time of the original proposal, one of your readers suggested that (for various reasons including so-called “levelling up” employment opportunities) in order for it to succeed, the railway upgrade should start in the north and work southward.

Had this been enacted, would it be plausible to even consider the possibility of the government agreeing to terminate the new infrastructure 50-80 miles away from London?

Nigel Plevin

Somerset

Discrimination in sport

So how long before stories of discrimination, sexism, racism, abuses of power and influence begin swirling around the games of rugby, tennis, golf and hockey?

It is about time the ruling elite of each were brought into focus. Colour is not the only bar to running or belonging to such clubs. I have lost count of the number of times I have been asked about my relationships with sheep.

Gareth Powell

Cheshire

Age of marriage

The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) (No2) Bill, which would forbid marriage before the age of 18, appears to be progressing through parliament with little scrutiny or debate. But could I point out that the legal age for consensual sex remains at 16?

While I appreciate the issue of “forced marriage” is a serious one that the Bill seeks to address, the social consequences of the proposed new law would be immense and surely merit greater consideration.

Colin Burke

Cumbria

Manifesto promises

Instead of reporting every day on which policy or manifesto promise Boris Johnson is failing on would it not be easier to let us know if he actually ever fulfils one?

G Forward

Stirling