A post on antibiotic resistance.
People are confused – like really confused, and we need to help them. For some reason the general public has started requesting antibiotics for any and every thing, misunderstanding the use of such drugs – i.e bacterial infections, NOT viruses. Not only are we taking antibiotics haphazardly, but when we do have a bacterial infection, we misuse and abuse the drug. Taking antibiotics for the wrong reason, the wrong way, or the wrong kind leads to disaster for us all. It’s gotten so bad that antibiotic resistance has been labeled a growing public health concern.
So how does antibiotic resistance affect more than just you? The CDC categorizes resistant bacteria as a “One Health problem” which means they can spread between people, animals, and the environment (so, everyone and everything). Most notably, resistant bacteria can appear in food, spreading from animals to people, which we’ve seen in salmonella bacteria. With heightened prevalence, no one is left insusceptible to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. According to the CDC, “at least 2.8 million people are infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria or fungi, and more than 35,000 people die as a result.”
What happens if we lose the ability to use antibiotics? Overusing antibiotics has left us with drugs incapable of fulfilling their purpose in killing bacteria. And unfortunately, we can’t keep up. With more and more bacteria becoming resistant, it is becoming harder to develop new antibiotics to treat bacterial infections. And with this I’m left wondering, at what point do we fall too far behind?
Kalei is a Scientist 