This week we had some terrifying information from the World Well being Group: Antibiotics are failing us. A rising variety of bacterial infections aren’t responding to those medicines—together with frequent ones that have an effect on the blood, intestine, and urinary tract. Get contaminated with considered one of these bugs, and there’s a good probability antibiotics received’t assist.
The scary fact is {that a} rising variety of dangerous micro organism and fungi have gotten proof against medication. Only a few weeks in the past, the US Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention printed a report discovering a pointy rise in infections brought on by a harmful sort of micro organism which can be proof against a few of the strongest antibiotics. Now, the WHO report exhibits that the issue is surging all over the world.
On this week’s Checkup, we’re making an attempt one thing a bit completely different—a little bit quiz. You’ve in all probability heard about antimicrobial resistance (AMR) earlier than, however how a lot are you aware about microbes, antibiotics, and the dimensions of the issue? Right here’s our try to put the “enjoyable” in “basic menace to fashionable medication.” Take a look at your information beneath!
This text first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Expertise Evaluation’s weekly biotech e-newsletter. To obtain it in your inbox each Thursday, and skim articles like this primary, enroll right here.
