Antibiotic-resistant infections expected to kill

'It's not apocalyptic until it is. Shame on us if we wait till bodies are in the street.'

On May 18, a woman was treated with antibiotics. When the antibiotics failed to help, researchers took a deeper look and discovered a medical nightmare.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Researchers at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research discovered a sample of Escherichia coli containing a gene in the bacterium's DNA called mcr-1.

The frightening truth is mcr-1 is impervious to Colistin, which is known for overcoming antibiotic-resistant infections.

What makes mcr-1 even more dangerous is how easily it can duplicate itself and infect other strands of e. coli.

Researchers explained the gene is also capable of morphing into a new disease-causing organism that would be impervious to Colistin.

Shockingly, according to a survey released in June by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, only 30 percent of Americans believe antibiotic resistance is a public health issue.

"It's a slow catastrophe," Army Col. Emil Lesho, the director of the Defense Department's Multidrug-resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network, stated.

Peter Pitts, president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest and former associate commissioner of the FDA, explained: "It's not apocalyptic until it is. Shame on us if we wait till bodies are in the street."

William P. Hanage, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Harvard University, slightly eased fears when he said, "we will not be flying back into the dark ages."

Though Hanage doesn't believe antibiotic-resistant organisms will be immediately widespread, he warned the world was far from safe.

Hange admitted, "We're seeing more drug-resistant infections. And people will die."

To fight antibiotic-resistant infections, hospitals have been improving their infection control and public health experts have been explaining how to safely take antibiotics.

According to the CDC, antibiotics should never be taken without a doctor's prescription.

There are several kinds of antibiotics, each targeting specific bacteria. When people take antibiotics without being prescribed the medication, it helps their body build up a resistance.

The CDC explained you should never take antibiotics for colds, the flu, a sore throat, bronchitis, most sinus infections and most ear infections.

When prescribed antibiotics, always take the full dosage and never skip a single dose.

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