Post by 3PHector on Jan 24, 2015 17:02:46 GMT
www.theguardian.com/society/mrsa
Two million people in the U.S contract superbugs each year, and 23,000 die. Superbugs are diseases that have become resistant to antibiotics and are therefore hard to cure and have the potential to do harm to many humans. These diseases can be deadly, like pneumonia. Antibiotics are a powerful kind of medicine that is used to stop infections by halting bacterial reproduction, or killing the bacteria. Now there is resistance to antibiotics because of overuse and dependence on them by humans.
People who underdose (taking too little) their antibiotics are creating this problem because some bacteria will survive the non-lethal treatment. Once living bacteria get used to the drug, they start having genetic mutations that render the drug useless. The strains of the superbug will then multiply because they can resist antibiotics. Right now scientists have developed new antibiotics to combat these bacteria, but it is a race, and who knows if we can keep on top of this. Scientists are worried that a disease will come along one day that will be resistant to all medicines, and wreak havoc on the human population. So far, with the exception of ebola, we have been able to control diseases in this modern world. But this shows us that the consequences of fighting nature is that nature will fight back.
Two million people in the U.S contract superbugs each year, and 23,000 die. Superbugs are diseases that have become resistant to antibiotics and are therefore hard to cure and have the potential to do harm to many humans. These diseases can be deadly, like pneumonia. Antibiotics are a powerful kind of medicine that is used to stop infections by halting bacterial reproduction, or killing the bacteria. Now there is resistance to antibiotics because of overuse and dependence on them by humans.
People who underdose (taking too little) their antibiotics are creating this problem because some bacteria will survive the non-lethal treatment. Once living bacteria get used to the drug, they start having genetic mutations that render the drug useless. The strains of the superbug will then multiply because they can resist antibiotics. Right now scientists have developed new antibiotics to combat these bacteria, but it is a race, and who knows if we can keep on top of this. Scientists are worried that a disease will come along one day that will be resistant to all medicines, and wreak havoc on the human population. So far, with the exception of ebola, we have been able to control diseases in this modern world. But this shows us that the consequences of fighting nature is that nature will fight back.
