Superbug crisis could get worse, killing nearly 40 million people by 2050, study estimates

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

CNN
—
The number of lives lost around the world due to infections that are resistant to the medications intended to treat them could increase nearly 70% by 2050, a new study projects, further showing the burden of theongoing superbug crisis.

Cumulatively, from 2025 to 2050, the world could see more than 39 million deaths that are directly attributable to antimicrobial resistance or AMR, according to the study, which was published Monday in the journal The Lancet.

Antimicrobial resistance happens when pathogens like bacteria and fungi develop the ability to evade the medications used to kill them.

The World Health Organization has called AMR “one of the top global public health and development threats,” driven by the misuse and overuse of antimicrobial medications in humans, animals and plants, which can help pathogens develop a resistance to them.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/16/health/antibiotic-resistant-superbug-infections-2050-wellness/index.html

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Part of the situation is that antibiotics have been overprescribed for

even minor or unnecessary medical conditions. For example, a cold w/o bronchitis is a virus and doesn't need an antibiotic to kill a non-existent infection. The body builds up a tolerance and one day, antibiotics (no matter the strength) won't work for a real crisis.

[Butterflylady]

2. I amso glad you posted this story......so let me tell you another story

In the late 90's I worked at a hospital in the Harrisburg, PA area. I was a nursing assistant. One night a patient was brought onto the floor I was working on. They had to clear a certain hallway for this patient because the man had to be kept in total isolation. The reason being he had a virus which was highly contagious and the medicine they gave him was not helping. So until the doctors were able to help him, they had to dress like astronauts.

Anyway, after about a week, I was in our lunch room, when a doctor ( resident) aware of what was happening came in and sat with the nurses. However, we were in a small room and could hear what he ( the doctor) was saying to the nurses. It caught our (nursing assistants) attention. The nurses were asking about how the patient in isolation was doing and since he (the patient) had finally found a medicine that was working against the virus.

Then the doctor said this, the patient was lucky that they could help him. But what he said next was that scientists have said they are working round the clock on finding new medicines to treat the new viruses that keep popping up. You see, these viruses are smarter and eventually there will be a virus that we have no medicine for and it will kill millions of people because they the superbugs of your post are way smarter.

I was going to tell this story during the pandemic, but thought the better of it. Hopefully some of us will miss it cause we will be gone. But our grandchildren and great grandchildren will not.