Scientists say that drug-resistant “superbugs” are one of the gravest threats in the history of medicine.

The piece in the Lancet medical journal says that routine operations could become deadly in the very near future as bacteria continue to evolve to fight the drugs used to combat them. Doctors say a century of medical advances could be wiped out in a matter of years.

“I am concerned that in 20 years, if I go into hospital for a hip replacement, I could get an infection leading to major complications and possible death, simply because antibiotics no longer work as they do now,” said John Watson, England’s deputy chief medical officer.

No new antibiotic has been introduced since 1987 because drug manufacturers cannot gain a profit from researching and producing new antibiotics.

The researchers say a major part of the problem is that the general public has become dependent on antibiotics to the point that if one doctor does not prescribe them they will seek out a “second opinion” that will give them the drugs.