A superbug is a microorganism which is able to survive exposure to an antibiotic. Antibiotics are often used in rearing animals for food and this use among others is playing a significant role in the creation of resistant strains of bacteria. Each year in the European Union over 25,000 people die because of bacterial infections that are able to outsmart even the newest antibiotics. The WHO says the situation has reached a critical level and a united push to make new usable drugs is urgently needed. Without a concerted effort, we could be dealing with a worldwide spread of untreatable infections.
This is of course a serious threat and the idea of first having a fatal disease followed by surgery leading to a super bacterium infection doesn't sound very temptating. This isn't a huge concern in Finland, yet. It doesn't take many years for this being a major drawback for us too. Luckily we have gotten a short time-out and we should use that efficiently. Now or never is the time to invest on health care!
The original piece of news can be found here.
