Talking science, sport and superbugs during Antibiotic Awareness Week
Superbug-infested waters posed a major health threat to our sporting superstars at this year's Rio Olympic Games. But what did this mean for our athletes? Are athletes more prone to superbug infections? And are antibiotics overprescribed in the sporting world?
Brisbane-based sport and science experts discussed these questions and more during Superbugs at the Olympics on 17 November 2016 during Global Antibiotic Awareness Week.
Drug-resistant bacteria, or superbugs, are one of the greatest challenges currently facing global human health. And it's a race against time when it comes to treating infections.
At this event, the community heard personal stories of athletes and the challenges doctors faced when treating the athletes who entered the superbug-infested waters in Rio.
The panel featured:
- CO-ADD ambassador, bacterial sepsis survivor and Rio 2016 gold medallist wheelchair rugby Paralympian Chris Bond OAM
- Olympic rower Fiona Albert
- Triathlon Australia's Chief Medical Officer Dr Mark Young
This exciting expert panel also included CO-ADD's Program Coordinator Dr Mark Blaskovich, who discussed measures taken to prevent superbugs from taking a stronghold at the Olympic Games.
Check out the tweets and photos from the evening event on storify.