The Post-Antibiotic Era Isn’t Coming, It’s Already Here: Startling Report Reveals Scope Of Superbug Crisis
Although deaths from superbugs went down, the number of people sickened increased and superbugs are appearing much more often outside of hospital. "You and I are living in a time when some miracle drugs no longer perform miracles and families are being ripped apart by a microscopic enemy," said CDC Director Robert Redfield.
USA Today:
'Superbugs' Sicken Millions, Kill 35K Each Year, CDC Report Finds
Drug-resistant "superbugs" infect 2.8 million people and cause more than 35,000 deaths each year, underscoring the enormous public health threat of germs in what one official describes as a "post-antibiotic era," according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. The report, which analyzes electronic health records and other data, shows an infection every 11 seconds and a death every 15 minutes on average from bugs that resist treatment from antibiotics. The CDC said there are nearly twice as many deaths from antibiotic-resistant infections compared to the agency's 2013 report, which likely underestimated the numbers. (Alltucker, 11/13)
Reuters:
Antibiotic-Resistant Infections Killing Twice As Many Americans As Once Thought
A 2013 CDC study estimated that 2 million Americans were infected by superbugs each year, leading to at least 23,000 deaths." The 2013 report propelled the nation toward critical action and investments against antibiotic resistance. Today's report demonstrates notable progress, yet the threat is still real," Dr. Robert Redfield, the CDC's director, said in a statement. Global health officials have repeatedly warned about the rise of bacteria and other microbes that are resistant to most available drugs, raising the specter of untreatable infectious diseases that could spread rapidly. (Whitcomb, 11/14)
The Associated Press:
US Superbug Infections Rising, But Deaths Are Falling
Indeed, though deaths are going down, nonfatal infections grew nationally from 2.6 million in 2013 to 2.8 million in 2017. Some worrisome new germs are emerging. And superbugs are appearing much more often outside of hospitals, the report says. For example, urinary tract infections have been easily treated in doctor’s offices with common antibiotics. But it’s increasingly common to see young healthy women with such infections forced into the hospital after initial treatments don’t work, said Dr. Bradley Frazee, a California emergency room doctor. (Stobbe, 11/13)
The Wall Street Journal:
Superbugs Toll Worse Than Thought, CDC Says
“Our nation must stop referring to a coming post-antibiotic era—it’s already here,” CDC director Robert Redfield said in an introductory letter to the report, which was released Wednesday. The report identified 18 bacteria and fungi of concern. In addition, new bugs are emerging rapidly, the CDC said. It included a “watch list” of pathogens identified elsewhere in the world that it is keeping an eye on, such as a drug-resistant form of Bordetella pertussis, bacteria that cause whooping cough. (McKay, 11/13)
The Washington Post:
Drug-Resistant Bacteria, Fungi And Related Germs Cause 3 Million Infections, 48,000 Deaths In U.S. Annually
Bacteria, fungi and other germs that have developed a resistance to antibiotics and other drugs pose one of the gravest public health challenges and a baffling problem for modern medicine. Scientists, doctors and public health officials have warned of this threat for decades, and the new report reveals the top dangers and troubling trends. More pathogens are developing new ways of fending off drugs designed to kill them, and infections are spreading more widely outside of hospitals. No new classes of antibiotics have been introduced in more than three decades. (Sun, 11/13)
CNN:
Drug-Resistant Superbugs Kill Someone Every 15 Minutes In The US, New CDC Report Reveals
C. diff is the deadliest antibiotic-resistant germ on the CDC's urgent list, causing 12,800 deaths a year in the United States. The other two germs on the urgent list since 2013 are carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, and drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a sexually transmitted infection.This year, the CDC added two more: a bacteria, carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter, and Candida auris, a fungus. (Cohen and Kounang, 11/13)
CBS News:
CDC Identifies New Superbugs That Are Potentially Deadly
C. difficile caused nearly a quarter of a million hospitalizations and at least 12,800 deaths in 2017. It's one of five antibiotic-resistant urgent threats identified in the report. Two of them were newly added since 2013. One, the fungus Candida auris, wasn't even on the CDC's radar five years ago. But there's some good news in the report. Since 2013, there has been an 18% drop in deaths from all types of antibiotic-resistant infections. (Lapook, 11/13)
Modern Healthcare:
Antibiotic-Resistant Infections Pose Greater Threat Than Estimated
The CDC added two germs to its "urgent threat" infection list since the 2013 report: a drug-resistant form of candida auris and carbapenem-resistant acinetobacter. The former is a fungal infection that kills one in three patients it affects. The infection was elevated to "urgent" status due to its rapid global spread over the past year, with more than 836 cases confirmed in the U.S. as of Oct. 29. The latter infection causes pneumonia and wound, bloodstream and urinary tract infections and was responsible for 8,500 hospitalizations and 700 deaths in 2017 with nearly all cases acquired in healthcare settings. (Johnson, 11/13)
NBC News:
Dangerous Superbugs Kill More People Than Previously Thought
People most vulnerable to drug-resistant infections are often very sick already and have compromised immune systems. Young children and the elderly are most at risk, too, but some of the superbugs are affecting otherwise healthy people. "Some of these infections are now affecting healthier populations, which is a growing concern for us," Caig said. (Edwards, 11/13)
Stat:
CDC: 35,000 Americans Die Of Antibiotic-Resistant Infections Each Year
An estimated 35,000 Americans die of antibiotic-resistant infections each year — one every 15 minutes — according to a stark new report from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention that reveals that the problem is substantially greater than previously estimated. The new report, the first update of a landmark 2013 publication that estimated the scope of drug resistance in the United States, used better data sources to recalculate the estimates in the earlier version. (Branswell, 11/13)
