'This is really a frightening situation' - 23k dead in global crisis

'Antibiotic resistance and the rise of superbugs really [do] put modern medicine at risk.'

Humanity has battled a terrifying foe responsible for stealing the lives of countless people.

In the 1920's, when mankind finally found a way to overpower the deadly threat, we thought the war was won - but now, the danger has returned and is jeopardizing the lives of billions.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Prior to the 1920s, people were attacked on a molecular level, leaving them disfigured, slowly drowning in their own blood as their lungs bled out, mothers often died in childbirth, babies routinely passed away and entire communities were wiped out by the easy transmission of deadly bacteria.

It wasn't until penicillin was accidentally discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 that people found a way to fight infection, which killed billions over the years.

Today, there are several kinds of antibiotics, which make things like organ transplants, births, longevity in animals and humans alike, and the successful treatment of certain illnesses possible.

Though the use of antibiotics changed the fate of the world in many positive ways, the abuse of the drugs have reared resistant bacteria called "superbugs."

Dr. Beth Bell of the CDC told CNBC, "This is a really frightening situation...and really one of the most serious infectious disease threats of our time."

Should the superbugs spread much further, the world will experience a molecular apocalypse, in which millions will die.

The CDC has already announced 23,000 people die each year because antibiotics are no longer effective for them but still the world abuses the medication.

Thousands worry about organic produce and smaller outbreaks of e. coli, while too few tune in to learn the 5 things they NEED to know about antibiotics, which are:

1. Superbugs are resistant to antibiotics
2. People with compromised immune systems and anyone who has abused or failed to follow doctor's orders during antibiotic use is at risk of falling prey to superbugs
3. When taking antibiotics, one must take the full dosage prescribed, even if symptoms disappear
4. Proper hand washing techniques could prevent 30 percent of diarrhea-related illnesses and 20 percent of respiratory infections, both of which require the use of antibiotics to treat and
5. If we can't overcome the superbug epidemic, life-saving procedures can no longer be carried out due to risk of infection

Bell explained: "Antibiotic resistance and the rise of superbugs really put modern medicine at risk. If you think about some of the main advances in medicine over the last number of decades, for example, cancer chemotherapy, organ transplantation, joint replacements, the success of all these innovations is really based on our ability to treat infections."

Scientists have been attempting to tackle the problem by creating new antibiotics that can overpower superbugs but with doctors over-prescribing antibiotics, people abusing the drug and the constant evolution of superbugs changing the game, they are really struggling.

In fact, the last time a new antibiotic was discovered, it was in the 1980's.

The National Institutes of Health reported: "of the 18 largest pharmaceutical companies, 15 have abandoned the antibiotic field due to economic and regulatory obstacles."

Dr. Bell warned: "Superbugs are always changing and the more they change and the more antibiotics we use, the more dangerous the situation is."

Will scientists discover a strong enough antibiotic to stave off a superbug apocalypse? Or will humanity need to learn the hard way how to control antibiotic abuse?

Follow the CDC guidelines in responsible antibiotic use, spread the word, and hopefully superbug-related deaths will fall.

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