Antibiotic 'apocalypse' warning

[Taf]

Prof Davies said: "It is clear that we might not ever see global warming, the apocalyptic scenario is that when I need a new hip in 20 years I'll die from a routine infection because we've run out of antibiotics."

She said there was only one useful antibiotic left to treat gonorrhoea and drug resistance was a huge problem in tuberculosis.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21178718

It's been waiting in the wings, often hospital wings, and now it's about ready to come out to play.

And how many millions will die? It could trigger war or major conflicts.

Not that that would be a bad thing overall.

[dilli-theclaw]

HHHmm I've been on antibiotics for more than half of last year and when I've been admitted on antibiotic drips.

I must admit I've been concerned about this for a while now.

we're all gonna dieeeee!!!!!!!

its because medicine made people soft running to the doctors with a stubbed toe every little sniff. Then the Doctors prescribing ABs for every pussy that just needs to toughen up a bit. Still it is nature regaining balance

I remember recently watching come dine with me and she nicked her finger slightly and went to A&E ( I know its not meds but come on lol )

[Anonymouse]

I think there are still some antibiotics (no idea what they are, mind) that would be effective against various diseases. The kicker is that they're too lethal to be used in - or, in some cases, on - the human body. Oops.

One I've heard of is vancomycin, but as you can read even this is losing its efficacy.

I rather think much, much more research into the Amazon is needed - for all we know there may be a universal natural antibiotic somewhere in there.

[craigj2k12]

Originally Posted by Damien

we're all gonna dieeeee!!!!!!!

Well, its in bold, so the decision is final

[dilli-theclaw]

Originally Posted by Damien

we're all gonna dieeeee!!!!!!!

I think I may have done already

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Damien

we're all gonna dieeeee!!!!!!!

Oh no we ain't.

Maybe we have a tendency to visit the doctor too often? I haven't seen my GP for 3 years and I stay away mostly because the waiting room is chock full of sick people.

[dilli-theclaw]

There was a whole two weeks last year I didn't see the Dr - what fun days

Part of the problem is people running to the doctor at the slightest thing but the main reason is how readily doctors have fobbed so many off with anti biotics instead of sending them home telling them they will be fine in a few days. Actually discussed this at xmas with a friend who is a gp (he qualified in 2011) and he said there was an acceptence now that AB's had been given out way too freely but the genie was out of the bottle. He also said there are some new one's in development that would be ready in the next five years but once they were released there would have to be a tightening of the system to prevent them being over used.

Are people going to toughen up enough in five years i doubt it so it will be interesting to see how this goes.

[Pierre]

The biggest cause of the problem was not necessarily the doctors dishing out antibiotics it was the patients not taking the full course.

How many times have people been given a course pills, only for them to say to themselves, I feel better now, and then stop taking the rest of the pills.

By doing that we have effectively been immunising the bacteria against the antibiotic.

But I have faith that a brand new, expensive, antibiotic will be developed just in the nick of time.

Actually the real problem is that in many 3rd world countries people can just buy antibiotics without a prescription.This means that infections are just being immunised in the wild because antibiotics are being used inappropriately by the world at large..

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

It's easy to put the blame on any particular group but it is all of us that are responsible. Whenever somebody has, demands or buys an antibiotic for a condition that would have naturally have cured its self or can be treated by other means just hastens the day when they will be ineffective.

Even antibiotic houshold cleaners and washing powders just help breed new resistant strains.

Surgery, from having a tooth out to a heart transplant, is going to become a lot more risky in the future. The golden age of medicine may be drawing to a close.

But at least in developed countries there has been some attempt to control the use of antibiotics via the prescription service instead of allowing a free for all.Also it has taken 80 years for us to have arrived at this situation so it seems that the PTB have actually managed the use of antibiotics fairly efficiently.

[Osem]

Can't remember the last time either of my lads had antibiotics and on the very few occasions they been to our GP with bugs, they've always been reluctant to prescribe them and explained why.

I think far too many people nowadays want a quick fix for everything and demand tablets for minor things that years ago we would have just put up with. I dare say a lot of GPs have prescribed pills more for a quieter life than anything else.

It's a bit like carbon emissions though, there's not much value in reducing the use of antibiotics in the UK if much of the rest of the world is doing the opposite.