CATCH is a fictional film, but it explores the real ISSUE of antibiotic resistance.
SCROLL DOWN TO Learn more about antibiotic resistance...
WHAT ARE ANTIBIOTICS?
CATCH is set in a near future where all antibiotics have stopped working.
Antibiotics are the drugs we use to fight bacterial infections. These drugs kill the microorganisms causing the infection, or stop them from multiplying.
Many medical procedures rely on these drugs: whether you’re undergoing chemotherapy, an organ transplant, treating TB or even just having a tooth out.
Follow the links below to find out more about antibiotics:
WHAT IS ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE?
CATCH is set in a near future where antibiotics have stopped working due to antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotic resistance occurs when an antibiotic drug has lost its ability to effectively kill bacteria or control their growth. The bacteria have evolved to be "resistant" to the drug, and continue to multiply in the presence of the antibiotic, so continue to infect and potentially harm the person they are infecting.
Follow the links below to find out more about antibiotics resistance:
The Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics
The Center for Disease Control
WHAT IS AN EPIDEMIC?
CATCH is set in a world where, not only have antibiotics become ineffective, but the world is also gripped by a lethal bacterial epidemic.
An epidemic is the widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a short space of time. There have been many epidemics throughout history, from the Medieval bubonic plague, the 1919 flu virus to modern ebola.
Epidemics that spread into several countries or even right around the world are called pandemics.
Follow the links below to find out more on epidemics:
WHAT IS A QUARANTINE?
In CATCH, Tom and Amy are quarantined in their home. And within their home, Tom sets up a quarantine of his own...
Imposing a quarantine on infected people is an effective way of stopping the spread of an infectious disease. But forcing patients to stay in a ward, a hospital, or their home (like in CATCH) comes with the troubling consequence of potentially separating them from loved ones and family.
Follow the links below to find more information on quarantines:
WHAT CAN I DO?
CATCH is set in a near future world where antibiotic resistance has made antibiotics useless. Although that is a real potential future, we can work now to stop that future from happening.
There are lots of simple things we can all do to try to avoid the post-antibiotic future portrayed in CATCH:
- Always wash your hands when handling and preparing food to avoid cross-contamination, especially between raw and ready-prepared food.
- Never pressure your doctor for antibiotics, as antibiotics can only treat bacterial infections. Antibiotics won't cure viral infections, like a cold!
- Never take unprescribed antibiotics.
- Always finish your prescribed course of antibiotics. Never stop taking your antibiotics before the course is finished as prescribed - even if you feel better, see it through to the end.
- Raise awareness about the issue of antibiotic resistance, and what we can do to combat it. Talk to your friends, your family, your colleagues, and your local politicians!
- Take a look at the Antibiotic Guardian website - and make a pledge to do your bit to combat antibiotic resistance.
- Explore the work of charities like Antibiotic Research UK.
Follow the links below for more information on what you can do to help: