Scare-Mongering or Fact?

[Sukerkin]

This article caught my eye as just a couple of weeks ago I went to a lecture on immunology and the treatment of infectious diseases.

What the doctor giving the talk covered, more or less, debunks this article as taking what is undoubtedly a truism of the development of superbugs and weaving an apocalypse out of it when actually about the only thing stopping us developing new and effective treatments for bacteriological infections is that it is, astoundingly, not very profitable. The lead time is long and the pay-off tail is short because, yes, bacteria do become resistant pretty quickly to each new treatment so drug companies don't have long to make money on an antibiotic before it become ineffective (tho', something that is not often reported, they can become effective again after a while as the bacteria dump the defences they don't need any more when a given antibiotic stops being administered for a few decades).

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/11/end-abx/

 

[granfire]

about 50;50, I suppose.

We are not as safe from disease as we like to be, but I feel that even official, reputable sources throw 'pandemic' around much too quickly.

 

[ballen0351]

Prepare for the Zombies

 

[Tames D]

Scare mongering without a doubt. Seems to be alot of that going around. Not really sure why. Not sure of the motivation. Possibly the all mighty dollar?

 

[oftheherd1]

Here's an easy to understand article on some aspects of the matter.

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/17/10/11-0655_article.htm

 

[Sukerkin]

:chuckles: Once I went there I understood the smiley OTH :lol:.

 

[DennisBreene]

Here's an easy to understand article on some aspects of the matter.

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/17/10/11-0655_article.htm

Seems straight forward enough . IMHO there is a lot of hype overlaying some cause for concern. Most community acquired infections respond readily to antibiotics ( usually the old standbys, without requiring the expensive new drugs). There are increasing incidents of resistant organisms that most frequently cause the greatest concern in the hospital where staff can spread it from one patient to another. And your doctor is the most likely cause of that spread. Ask if he's washed his hands. Most facilities are getting pretty aggressive about identifying carriers and isolating them, promoting better hand washing, and reducing the unnecessary use of antibiotics. The newest iteration of any antibiotic is usually frightfully expensive and aggressively marketed by the drug companies. This can result in expensive care with a drug that isn't needed and the acceleration of the speed with which microbes become resistant to the drug. So drug companies are pushing to recover their investment while effectively killing the goose so to speak and then moving on to the next agent in the pipeline. Infection control committees and newer standards of practice are working to reverse this trend. Returning to time honored (and too often ignored) techniques for infection control and appropriate antibiotic selection is necessary, but I don't see a doomsday scenario looming any time soon.