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[CornBurrito]

Everyone here should watch BBC Horizon 'Defeating the Superbugs'

Anti-biotics are slowly becoming useless due to their over use. New methods to treat bacterial infections have to be discovered now.

The good thing is that antibiotic resistance often bears a fitness cost when the antibiotic is no longer present in the environment. So if we stop using antibiotics for a good period of time they may some day be usable once more.

 

[Always-honest]

The good thing is that antibiotic resistance often bears a fitness cost when the antibiotic is no longer present in the environment. So if we stop using antibiotics for a good period of time they may some day be usable once more.

better stop eating meat then

 

[CornBurrito]

better stop eating flesh then

Well, yeah we're kind of fucked unless pretty much everyone gives up antibiotic treated meat then.

But it is the only silver lining I can think of.

 

[Always-honest]

Well, yeah we're kind of fucked unless pretty much everyone gives up antibiotic treated meat then.

But it is the only silver lining I can think of.

yes. Maybe this will be a step in the right direction.

 

[Naked Snake]

It's actually well known that over half of antibiotic prescriptions are to patients who demand them from the doctor when they are unnecessary. Since it takes the doctor 30 minutes to calm them down and explain why they aren't necessary, but 1 minute to prescribe and send the patient on their way, they almost always choose the unnecessary prescription for the sake of keeping the patient happy and not wasting their time. It's hard to say no to an angry parent with a crying baby that doesn't need antibiotics.

The real travesty is that we aren't doing more science education in schools. If people just knew when antibiotics are appropriate before going to the doctor, this horrible practice could go away.

Saying "Your child is infected with a virus, antibiotics only work on bacteria, not viruses." doesn't take 30 minutes.

 

[CornBurrito]

Saying "Your child is infected with a virus, antibiotics only work on bacteria, not viruses." doesn't take 30 minutes.

And when children are sick parents can get really irrational, threaten to take their child to another doctor for a second opinion... or a third... or fourth. Until they eventually get an unscrupulous doctor that will supply them with antibiotics.

 

[ezrarh]

Saying "Your child is infected with a virus, antibiotics only work on bacteria, not viruses." doesn't take 30 minutes.

There's a difference? - the average person

 

[Schadenfreude]

This is how it starts, isn't it? The zombie apocalypse?

 

[Ixion]

I've had Lyme Disease since July and have been on antibiotics ever since. I'm currently one month into IV antibiotics actually.

I guess they really are losing their effectiveness...

 

[Clydefrog]

The whole building is infected. Clydefrog, you're patient zero.

haha, seriously! my bad, building

 

[Slackbladder]

BBC link
This should be taken very, very seriously. Go to hospital to have appendix removed and die of infection. We are slowly walking into an antibiotic dark age.
Arguably the blame (if there is any blame) lies with the pharmaceutical companies who either don't see a profit in antibiotics or don't want to invest in the research and development of new ones. I mean, there hasn't been a new antibiotic developed for over twenty years!
Governments talk about terrorism etc because it gives them votes. They don't talk about the potential damage superbugs can cause in the future because dealing with the problem won't (they think). Man's short sightedness will be his downfall because we have politicians who make the decisions. That and a mis-informed public who are too ignorant to understand the importance of this threat.

 

[glaurung]

I've had a good run.

At least humanity is making room for more advanced species.

 

[jmdajr]

My worry meter is currently full. I'll make more room if I can later.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

BBC link
This should be taken very, very seriously. Go to hospital to have appendix removed and die of infection. We are slowly walking into an antibiotic dark age.
Arguably the blame (if there is any blame) lies with the pharmaceutical companies who either don't see a profit in antibiotics or don't want to invest in the research and development of new ones. I mean, there hasn't been a new antibiotic developed for over twenty years!
Governments talk about terrorism etc because it gives them votes. They don't talk about the potential damage superbugs can cause in the future because dealing with the problem won't (they think). Man's short sightedness will be his downfall because we have politicians who make the decisions. That and a mis-informed public who are too ignorant to understand the importance of this threat.

I wouldn't say the blame rests entirely with pharmaceutical companies, it also lies quite heavily on governments who cut funding to public science/research. The UK has apparently seen a real terms cut of 15% to its in science and research, grants at an all time and the entire situation is incredibly dire.

Investment from government is realistically the only way we'll see develop a new Antibiotic, relying on pharma companies simply isn't realistic and there's no gain for them in investing in research and development of new antibiotics.

 

[Jarmel]

Scary shit. Stuff like this doesn't get much public traction.

 

[Tesseract]

every time i come to op now i read depressing shit. cypher was right, the juicy steak is delicious.

 

[Angelus Errare]

In others news, gun sales increase by 300%

 

[Miles Quaritch]

Scary shit. Stuff like this doesn't get much public traction.

We need an epidemic, a real one that takes upwards of a million lives. Might not sound nice, but it's what's needed to galvanise both public and political support People have become indifferent and no longer believe experts/scientists due to how exaggerated past health scares and so called epidemics were.