Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have now spread to different parts of the world and might cause minor infections to become deadly, a report posted by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday said.

WHO conducted its first global survey of the drug-resistance issue and found that that rates of E. coli bacteria resistant to antibiotics is very high. The said bacteria cause meningitis, skin infections, blood infections, and kidney diseases.

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The organization also said the problem has rendered treatment useless for over half of patients in many countries. Common causes of gonorrhea and pneumonia are among those that have shown worrying resistance rates.

According to WHO's Dr. Keiji Fukuda, an urgent action is needed to prevent minor infections and injuries from becoming deadly once again. WHO, on the other hand, said many countries still do not have information on the rate of antibiotic resistance.

Health experts have already been issuing warnings about the dangers that drug resistance could bring, especially in tuberculosis, flu, and malaria.

Former British Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sally Davies likened drug resistance to a "ticking time bomb" and said the threat is comparable to terrorism.

When Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, doctors have gained access to effective treatment for various infections.

However, for more than three decades now, no new drug classes have been discovered.

The Associated Press cited Doctors Without Borders medical director Jennifer Cohn as saying that antibiotic resistance is already everywhere and that children in nutritional institutions in Niger and surgical wards in Syria are also affected by the problem.

She also said countries have to beef up their efforts in monitoring antibiotic resistance. Otherwise, treatment efforts are futile, she said.

WHO recommended strict compliance with the doctor's prescription when using antibiotics. Patients should also finish the full prescription and not use leftover medicines from other prescriptions, WHO said.