The Looming Crisis: Rise of Drug-Resistant Superbugs

[Social Media]

 

In the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, another crisis looms on the horizon—one that could make the current global health crisis pale in comparison. The rise of drug-resistant superbugs poses a grave threat to humanity, warns Prof Dame Sally Davies, England’s former chief medical officer and current UK special envoy on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). With common infections evolving into untreatable threats due to misuse of antibiotics, millions of lives hang in the balance.

 

Davies paints a grim picture of a future where drug-resistant infections become widespread, rendering current medical treatments ineffective. The consequences could be catastrophic, making routine medical procedures such as caesarean sections, cancer interventions, and organ transplants perilous endeavors. In essence, the very foundation of modern medicine would be shaken to its core.

 

The urgency of the situation cannot be overstated. Already, drug-resistant infections claim the lives of at least 1.2 million people annually—a staggering toll that is poised to escalate if decisive action is not taken. Davies emphasizes that the window of opportunity to address the issue is rapidly closing, warning that failure to act within the next decade could have dire consequences for generations to come.

 

The recent announcement of a national action plan on AMR by the UK government is a step in the right direction. However, much more needs to be done on a global scale to curb the misuse of antimicrobials in both human and animal healthcare, strengthen surveillance of drug-resistant infections, and incentivize the development of new drugs and vaccines.

 

Davies's personal connection to the issue, having lost her goddaughter to a drug-resistant infection, underscores the human toll of AMR. Her goddaughter, Emily Hoyle, battled cystic fibrosis and succumbed to an infection that could not be treated—a tragic reminder of the stakes involved in the fight against superbugs.

 

Addressing AMR requires a multifaceted approach that spans healthcare, agriculture, and environmental stewardship. The overuse of antibiotics in farming, for example, contributes significantly to the spread of drug resistance, highlighting the need for sustainable practices and responsible antibiotic use.

 

While the challenges posed by AMR are daunting, there is cause for cautious optimism. Breakthroughs in genomics and artificial intelligence offer promising avenues for the development of new antibiotics, while innovative funding models such as subscription-based access to antimicrobials show potential for ensuring their availability while preserving their efficacy.

 

As Davies and other global leaders advocate for action on the world stage, the urgency of addressing AMR becomes increasingly apparent. The upcoming UN high-level meeting on the issue represents a critical opportunity to set ambitious targets and mobilize international cooperation.

 

Credit: The Guardian 2024-05-15

 

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[Hawaiian]

Taking antibiotics for viral infections is part of the problem. It only kills friendly bacteria unnecessarily. 

[newbee2022]

10 hours ago, Social Media said:

 

In the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, another crisis looms on the horizon—one that could make the current global health crisis pale in comparison. The rise of drug-resistant superbugs poses a grave threat to humanity, warns Prof Dame Sally Davies, England’s former chief medical officer and current UK special envoy on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). With common infections evolving into untreatable threats due to misuse of antibiotics, millions of lives hang in the balance.

 

Davies paints a grim picture of a future where drug-resistant infections become widespread, rendering current medical treatments ineffective. The consequences could be catastrophic, making routine medical procedures such as caesarean sections, cancer interventions, and organ transplants perilous endeavors. In essence, the very foundation of modern medicine would be shaken to its core.

 

The urgency of the situation cannot be overstated. Already, drug-resistant infections claim the lives of at least 1.2 million people annually—a staggering toll that is poised to escalate if decisive action is not taken. Davies emphasizes that the window of opportunity to address the issue is rapidly closing, warning that failure to act within the next decade could have dire consequences for generations to come.

 

The recent announcement of a national action plan on AMR by the UK government is a step in the right direction. However, much more needs to be done on a global scale to curb the misuse of antimicrobials in both human and animal healthcare, strengthen surveillance of drug-resistant infections, and incentivize the development of new drugs and vaccines.

 

Davies's personal connection to the issue, having lost her goddaughter to a drug-resistant infection, underscores the human toll of AMR. Her goddaughter, Emily Hoyle, battled cystic fibrosis and succumbed to an infection that could not be treated—a tragic reminder of the stakes involved in the fight against superbugs.

 

Addressing AMR requires a multifaceted approach that spans healthcare, agriculture, and environmental stewardship. The overuse of antibiotics in farming, for example, contributes significantly to the spread of drug resistance, highlighting the need for sustainable practices and responsible antibiotic use.

 

While the challenges posed by AMR are daunting, there is cause for cautious optimism. Breakthroughs in genomics and artificial intelligence offer promising avenues for the development of new antibiotics, while innovative funding models such as subscription-based access to antimicrobials show potential for ensuring their availability while preserving their efficacy.

 

As Davies and other global leaders advocate for action on the world stage, the urgency of addressing AMR becomes increasingly apparent. The upcoming UN high-level meeting on the issue represents a critical opportunity to set ambitious targets and mobilize international cooperation.

 

Credit: The Guardian 2024-05-15

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

 

 

She should address the Thai govt. to stop the misuse of antibiotics sold as OTC (over the counter)

It should come back to "prescription only"🙏

[ericbj]

We are concerned here with a crisis for the pharmaceutical industry and its dependents (including most hospitals and medical practitioners).

There are plenty of alternatives to antibiotics, some in use for thousands of years.  But as they cannot be patented and therefore are relatively cheap they represent a financial threat to the medical-industrial complex.

 

Do a diligent web-search and you will find them.

 

For example: essential oils, oxidation therapies (such as ozone, hydrogen peroxide, hyperbaric oxygen), certain metals (such as colloidal silver; but NO, not mercury or arsenic as used in the past).

 

When, in October 2022, I suffered a very severe respiratory and throat infection, possibly from a Cvd variant, it confined me to bed for three days.  I was up on the fourth day, and cycling into town, albeit very weak, for a meal in my favorite Burmese tea-room, on the fifth day.  I had regularly taken doses of an extremely dilute aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide.  Disgusting in taste.  But highly effective.

 

The emphasis of medicine should be on restoring functionality, including that of the immune system.  Rather than on treating symptoms which are often the body's attempt to deal with a problem.

 

In my days (long ago) in the New Guinea jungle I had with me a slender volume on Tropical Medicine.  It mentioned that, pre-War, the common outcome for dysentery was death.  The reason given: to stop the diarrhoea (and thus block evacuation of toxins) doctors administered opium.

 

There is a need for a much deeper understanding, than is common at the present time, of how the body functions.  Such knowledge is often already available amongst the scientits (the medical researchers).  It tends to be lacking amongst the technicians (the medical workers of different kinds).

[john donson]

mrna vaccine against it? as it is all the hot air they can blow these days...

 

might have 'slight' side effects, ask astrazenica...

[Tug]

Scary stuff indeed 

[thaibeachlovers]

19 hours ago, newbee2022 said:

She should address the Thai govt. to stop the misuse of antibiotics sold as OTC (over the counter)

It should come back to "prescription only"🙏

Speak for yourself. I hate having to pay $59 just to get a new prescription every 3 months.

Let's treat people as being responsible for themselves instead of a nanny state controlling every aspect of our lives.

 

 

BTW they were warning of this 20 years ago, and there are not many drugs that work any more. When it happens it's going to be like pre penicillin.

[thaibeachlovers]

19 hours ago, ericbj said:

We are concerned here with a crisis for the pharmaceutical industry and its dependents (including most hospitals and medical practitioners).

There are plenty of alternatives to antibiotics, some in use for thousands of years.  But as they cannot be patented and therefore are relatively cheap they represent a financial threat to the medical-industrial complex.

 

Do a diligent web-search and you will find them.

 

For example: essential oils, oxidation therapies (such as ozone, hydrogen peroxide, hyperbaric oxygen), certain metals (such as colloidal silver; but NO, not mercury or arsenic as used in the past).

 

When, in October 2022, I suffered a very severe respiratory and throat infection, possibly from a Cvd variant, it confined me to bed for three days.  I was up on the fourth day, and cycling into town, albeit very weak, for a meal in my favorite Burmese tea-room, on the fifth day.  I had regularly taken doses of an extremely dilute aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide.  Disgusting in taste.  But highly effective.

 

The emphasis of medicine should be on restoring functionality, including that of the immune system.  Rather than on treating symptoms which are often the body's attempt to deal with a problem.

 

In my days (long ago) in the New Guinea jungle I had with me a slender volume on Tropical Medicine.  It mentioned that, pre-War, the common outcome for dysentery was death.  The reason given: to stop the diarrhoea (and thus block evacuation of toxins) doctors administered opium.

 

There is a need for a much deeper understanding, than is common at the present time, of how the body functions.  Such knowledge is often already available amongst the scientits (the medical researchers).  It tends to be lacking amongst the technicians (the medical workers of different kinds).

You are speaking into the wind. Greed always wins.

[newbee2022]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Speak for yourself. I hate having to pay $59 just to get a new prescription every 3 months.

Let's treat people as being responsible for themselves instead of a nanny state controlling every aspect of our lives.

 

 

BTW they were warning of this 20 years ago, and there are not many drugs that work any more. When it happens it's going to be like pre penicillin.

You just shot yourself in the foot.

The reason why antibiotics are not working is because of uncontrolled intake.

Since you're not a shrink you are not in the position to decide which antibiotic is for what case.

Therefore is has to be in Doc's hand to decide and prescribe.

The 50 Dollar is not worth any discussion but your health personally but also the health of society.🙏

[ericbj]

8 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You are speaking into the wind. Greed always wins.

Greed wins over ignorance.  We are all ignorant to a degree.  But to the degree that we are well informed we can tell the greedy to get lost.

The general public is becoming better informed; to date more so in "the West".

 

This is causing concern amongst greedy financial interests.

 

[Note, for example, the interlocking interests of the pharmaceutical industry and main-stream media - on- and off-line; include search-engines there].

They are taking steps to choke off information that can threaten their bottom line.  But ways around the largely invisible censorship are being developed.  If you care to follow 'alternative' sources.

 

I believe the possibility exists for us, members of the general public, to gain access to the broad uplands of knowledge that concern our and our relations well-being.

[BritManToo]

They've been pushing this story for the past 20 years, yet here we all are and no sign of the super bugs.

[BritManToo]

On 5/15/2024 at 7:44 AM, Hawaiian said:

Taking antibiotics for viral infections is part of the problem. It only kills friendly bacteria unnecessarily. 

Just not true, if you take anti biotics for a viral infection, there isn't any harmful bacteria to become resistant ,  so it will just be ineffective.

[RayC]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Just not true, if you take anti biotics for a viral infection, there isn't any harmful bacteria to become resistant ,  so it will just be ineffective.

 

@Hawaiian is correct.

 

Although some anti-biotics are 'targeted', many are not and they can therefore eliminate friendly gut bacteria.

 

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/247213/antibiotics-promote-growth-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria/#:~:text=Some antibiotics target specific bacteria,with digestion and other processes.

[ericbj]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Just not true, if you take anti biotics for a viral infection, there isn't any harmful bacteria to become resistant ,  so it will just be ineffective.

Healthy people do not merely have "good" bacteria in their bodies.  They also have "bad" bacteria; as well as others whose precise nature is not yet known.

 

The so-called bad bacteria are kept in check by the other species, but if these latter are greatly diminished the population of bad bacteria can expand.  Causing a diseased state.
[e.g.  you can have the pneumococcus inhabiting your lungs without the least sign of pneumonia]

 

It is recommended to check out the importance to health of the gut microbiome.  Healthy people have more varieties of bacteria in their gut than the chronically ill.

 

[Preservatives in industrialised foods can also adversely impact the gut microbiome.  And note that the now ubiquitous glyphosate was originally patented as an antibiotic.  Well named: anti bios]

 

Moreover the human body is believed, on recent research, to contain approximately the same number of bacteria as human cells.  They are an integral part of our bodies.  Many of the them are known to perform useful functions, whilst for others their utility is still unknown.

 

Antibiotics can save lives, but can also cause untold suffering.  A fact that many doctors in Thailand do not seem to have caught up with, since they can be all too ready to prescribe an antibiotic.

A German neighbour tells me that in his country doctors have become hesitant to prescribe antibiotics where they can be avoided.

[BritManToo]

9 hours ago, ericbj said:

A German neighbour tells me that in his country doctors have become hesitant to prescribe antibiotics where they can be avoided.

Doesn't mean anything, doctors do as they are told by their employers.

[ericbj]

8 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Doesn't mean anything, doctors do as they are told by their employers.

Ah !
I think I get you !

So it's the people who tell the doctors in Germany what to do that have decided to reduce the use of antibiotics ?

[BritManToo]

52 minutes ago, ericbj said:

Ah !
I think I get you !

So it's the people who tell the doctors in Germany what to do that have decided to reduce the use of antibiotics ?

The entire western world appears to want complete government control over the use of pharmaceuticals.

[ericbj]

8 hours ago, BritManToo said:

The entire western world appears to want complete government control over the use of pharmaceuticals.

Absolutely.
Just one example:
Hydroxychloroquin, purchased by tourists leaving for malaria-infested parts, was available as an OTC (Over-The-Counter) drug.  Until Professor Raoult showed that it could be re-purposed for use against a recently widespread infection that caused much hyped-up alarm.  (So long as the infection was not at an advanced stage).
Professor Raoult was lampooned by officialdom and the MSM.  And the French government promptly banned not only OTC sales but GPs were forbidden to prescribe it.
Its use is now only permitted in hospitals.  Tourists with malaria be damned.

But governments - not only in 'the West' - are also increasingly intent upon controlling our private lives [back-up your data to "The Cloud" etc.], our opinions, and our money [through CBDCs]

[thaibeachlovers]

On 5/16/2024 at 4:26 PM, newbee2022 said:

You just shot yourself in the foot.

The reason why antibiotics are not working is because of uncontrolled intake.

Since you're not a shrink you are not in the position to decide which antibiotic is for what case.

Therefore is has to be in Doc's hand to decide and prescribe.

The 50 Dollar is not worth any discussion but your health personally but also the health of society.🙏

I dished out drugs to patients for decades, I am capable of deciding which is appropriate for a particular condition, as I did in Thailand, where we are not treated as morons by a nanny state government.

If I needed advice I was always able to ask the pharmacist for help deciding- it's what they do.

 

BTW shrinks don't prescribe antibiotics.

[thaibeachlovers]

7 hours ago, ericbj said:

But governments - not only in 'the West' - are also increasingly intent upon controlling our private lives [back-up your data to "The Cloud" etc.], our opinions, and our money [through CBDCs]

The cloud has to be the greatest scam in the history of mankind, IMO, but the sheeple probably think it's a great idea to give their government all their information. You know, the sheeple that will get a brain implant as it will save them having to do a money transaction by inputting some numbers into a machine. No wonder our civilization ( if not our species ) is doomed.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 5/16/2024 at 11:51 PM, BritManToo said:

Just not true, if you take anti biotics for a viral infection, there isn't any harmful bacteria to become resistant ,  so it will just be ineffective.

You miss the point. Antibiotics kill good bacteria as well as bad ones, so if you take an antibiotic for a viral disease, which won't cure the virus, you destroy the good bacteria in your body.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 5/16/2024 at 11:18 PM, ericbj said:

Greed wins over ignorance.  We are all ignorant to a degree.  But to the degree that we are well informed we can tell the greedy to get lost.

The general public is becoming better informed; to date more so in "the West".

 

This is causing concern amongst greedy financial interests.

 

[Note, for example, the interlocking interests of the pharmaceutical industry and main-stream media - on- and off-line; include search-engines there].

They are taking steps to choke off information that can threaten their bottom line.  But ways around the largely invisible censorship are being developed.  If you care to follow 'alternative' sources.

 

I believe the possibility exists for us, members of the general public, to gain access to the broad uplands of knowledge that concern our and our relations well-being.

I experienced thousands of patients over my time as a nurse, and I can assure you that most will never look for the broad uplands of knowledge that concern our and our relations well-being.

There is nothing better to destroy one's faith in humanity than by experiencing enough humans.

[KhunLA]

5 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You miss the point. Antibiotics kill good bacteria as well as bad ones, so if you take an antibiotic for a viral disease, which won't cure the virus, you destroy the good bacteria in your body.

Agree, and killing the bacteria needed to process some nutrients from your food intake, which would have helped boost your immune system.   Not on useless against a virus, but detrimental to the very immune system to fight the virus.

 

Bacterial or viral ... your body will handle the infection, in about a 2 weeks time, at most, for most people, without any help.   Treat the symptoms for your comfort, if not knowing it is a specific bacteria ... Avoid antibodies.

Edited May 18 by KhunLA

[thaibeachlovers]

9 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Agree, and killing the bacteria needed to process some nutrients from your food intake, which would have helped boost your immune system.   Not on useless against a virus, but detrimental to the very immune system to fight the virus.

 

Bacterial or viral ... your body will handle the infection, in about a 2 weeks time, at most, for most people, without any help.   Treat the symptoms for your comfort, if not knowing it is a specific bacteria ... Avoid antibodies.

I'll use antibiotics if I need to, but I'll use probiotics after to repopulate the gut.

[KhunLA]

On 5/16/2024 at 9:48 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

Speak for yourself. I hate having to pay $59 just to get a new prescription every 3 months.

Let's treat people as being responsible for themselves instead of a nanny state controlling every aspect of our lives.

 

 

BTW they were warning of this 20 years ago, and there are not many drugs that work any more. When it happens it's going to be like pre penicillin.

Yep  ... one of the best benefits of living in TH.

 

IF in the USA, Medicare Plan B cost ~$170, ($2040 / ฿73.8k a year) then has $10-20-30 deductibles for the doc to issue a script, or referral to a specialist, with more deductibles.   Then $10-20-30 deductibles when buying the meds, if even covered.  What a joke.

 

I can't spend that much on my healthcare here, and that includes a full medical check up every year, with full abdominal ultrasound for <฿10k / $277 USD.  Less than 2 months Plan B premium which gives you nothing for your money.

 

Premiums of ฿73.8k a year ... I can't get that sick here.  Been here 20+ years, so I'm ฿1.5-2M ahead, by not living in the USA.  AND YES, that money is in the oops fund here, JIC, if needed, or the wife & kid have a bit extra when I do crap out.

 

Most scripts I get here, cost less than the deductibles in the USA ... 

 

Edited May 18 by KhunLA

[KhunLA]

21 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I'll use antibiotics if I need to, but I'll use probiotics after to repopulate the gut.

I drink homemade Kefir everyday.  So all good with probiotics here 👍

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You miss the point. Antibiotics kill good bacteria as well as bad ones, so if you take an antibiotic for a viral disease, which won't cure the virus, you destroy the good bacteria in your body.

But it's all replaced a few days later.

[Walker88]

16 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

But it's all replaced a few days later.

I'm not sure where you get your data, but it is wildly at odds with what medical journals such as the Lancet report from meta-analysis of research.

 

The average person has trillions of bacteria, both good and bad varieties, in their gut. "Good" bacteria is involved in a host of body-necessary processes, such as manufacturing or refining the substrates to make essential hormones. One could almost believe that humans evolve merely to be vessels for bacteria to survive. At the very least the relationship is symbiotic. Antibiotics are equal opportunity killers, both good and bad bacteria are eradicated.

 

An extremely healthy individual will restore most of his or her microbiome after a few months (NOT days), though the bacteria makeup may be different than before antibiotics, depending on the specific diet. Less healthy individuals can take years to fully recover from a single course of antibiotics, their immune system weakened for the entire period and their hormone production disrupted.

 

In terms of worldwide deaths from 'superbugs', the latest data I could find was for 2019, and the number was 1.2 million people. In a world of 8 billion, that isn't much (unless you're one of them) but the trend is worrying. Many people are saved from superbugs, at least in the developed world, by last chance super antibiotics.

 

There is also something called antibiotic scarring, which refers to bad gut bacteria building up antibiotic resistance after a single course of pills. After two courses, more resistance, after three, etc.

 

Given the time and expense of developing new antibiotics, plus the lengthy approval process, we would be well advised to be careful in how we take and how we prescribe antibiotics. There are crazy people who come to Thailand and down doxy and zithro supposedly as a prophylactic because they plan on schtupping bargirls bareback, and think that will protect them from STDs. Idiocy!

[mark131v]

My mother in law needs a hip replacement but she's terrified to have it done as three of her friends in the village have died post op

 

This is a bog standard low risk procedure in most of the world but due to Thailand handling out anti biotics for absolutely anything they no longer work when people need them and people are dying needlessly due to over prescribing 

 

I took my daughter to the doctor's a few years back and again he prescribed antibiotics when they weren't required they went straight in the bin and she was back to health in 2 days with simple analgesia 

 

I have a medical background but I would advise caution when you're given medicine in Thailand especially antibiotics as it can cause more problems than they solve 

[thaibeachlovers]

On 5/18/2024 at 12:21 PM, KhunLA said:

I can't spend that much on my healthcare here, and that includes a full medical check up every year, with full abdominal ultrasound for <฿10k / $277 USD.  Less than 2 months Plan B premium which gives you nothing for your money.

I've never been offered an abdominal ultrasound as part of a check up. However, I've never been given a checkup either, other than taking my BP.