As if use of sarin gas in Syria weren’t bad enough, the Center for Disease Control has issued a report warning that almost two dozen antibiotic-resistant microbes are infecting over two million people a year, causing over 23,000 deaths. CDC Director Thomas Frieden says “Without urgent action now, more patients will be thrust back to a time before we had effective drugs.” Overuse of drugs is the main factor in the growth of resistant germs, and hospitals have the most acute problem now.
Folks want antibiotics when they’re sick, even if they have a virus that isn’t affected by the drug. Combined with heavy use of antibiotics in livestock, we are on the verge of an epidemic for which we have no cure, and none in the developmental pipeline.
Thoughts?