CBS: Could antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” become a bigger killer than cancer?

Antibiotics revolutionized medicine when they were first introduced in the 1940’s, saving people from former death sentences such as pneumonia and tuberculosis. There’s no way of knowing how many lives have been spared over the years, but now, due to widespread misuse in the form of over-prescribing, it appears that humans have become their own worst enemy.

We’ve used antibiotics so freely, some bacteria have mutated into so-called “superbugs.” They’ve become resistant to the very drugs designed to kill them. A study commissioned by the British government estimates that by 2050, 10 million people worldwide could die each year from antibiotic resistant bacteria. That’s more than currently die from cancer.

So now, the drug-resistant bacteria are becoming nearly impossible to treat and doctors know that antibiotics they commonly used 10 years ago are no longer effective.

Each time we take an antibiotic, bacteria can develop the same kind of resistance in our bodies, which is why the overuse of the drugs is so dangerous.

Americans are among the highest consumers of antibiotics in the world. More than 250 million prescriptions are written every year. One-third of them unnecessary, according to the centers for disease control.

And in India – and many other developing countries – antibiotic use is on the rise and you can often buy the drugs over the counter, no prescription required.

 

The problem becomes even more frightening when you consider that in many countries, including the United States, antibiotics are added to animal feed as a means of warding off infection and promoting faster growth and development.

Bacteria in those (chickens) are being exposed to antibiotics, which kill off the bacteria that are sensitive to the antibiotics, leaving behind only resistant bacteria which don’t respond to antibiotics.

So it means these chickens are being accidentally bred to create superbugs?

Yes, because they’re being fed antibiotics every single day of their lives.

So what can we, as individuals do to help the problem? For starters, if we can’t make considerate decisions based on what’s best for the collective whole, we should at least understand that overuse and abuse now may mean that antibiotics may not work if a health crisis hits and we really need them.

SOURCE: CBS – Could antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” become a bigger killer than cancer?