Simple Infections Are Not So Simple Anymore—Silent Killers on the Move-Superbugs Have Arrived
Posted: Thursday, October 07, 2010
by Steve Kovacs
The Kovacs Perspective
If you are like me, when you get any kind of infection such as dental, sinus, or respiratory, you just brush it off and think you'll pop some antibiotics and you'll be fine in no time. And usually that is exactly what happens. Antibiotics have saved millions of lives throughout the years and they continue to do so. Without antibiotics, a small cut has the real possibility of getting infected and even killing us. But again, if we happen to get a cut and see an infection brewing, we can just run to our doctors and get fixed up. Right? Yes, but doctors are concerned that a new form of non-treatable bacteria will become commonplace and possibly kill hundreds of thousands if not more.
You might be thinking I must be talking about the often-mentioned MSRA, a dangerous infection that can often be treated with antibiotics. No, I am talking about a new class of superbugs with little or no effective treatment against them at all.
Bill Shields, checked into a New York hospital recently with a highly treatable form of pneumonia. The doctors threw every thing they could at it but as CBS news reported, he was clinging to life because none of the antibiotics they used worked against the superbug infecting him. His particular infection, Klebsiella is one of five deadly superbugs turning up in America . In addition, just recently, a 67-year-old woman got a superbug at an outpatient clinic in Columbus , Ohio where she went for a simple pinched nerve in her back. A superbug called Acinetobactor, which used to be found only in battlefield hospitals, infected her. Seventeen days after her surgery, Ruth Burns was dead.
Brad Spellberg, the author of "Rising Plague" says, "What these organisms have done, by creating super-antibiotic resistance, is that they've set medicine back 70 years in time. There are increasing cases of infections caused by bacteria that are resistant to every FDA-approved antibiotic. And we literally have no treatment for those bacteria."
These superbugs have been found in numerous hospitals throughout the US and as Spellberg says, there is no treatment for them! According to reports, these bacteria can live for years on hospital surfaces, entering the body through open wounds, catheters and ventilators. Drug companies, the whipping child for most of us recently because of health care costs, used to rise to the occasion when a new strain of drug resistant bacteria raised its ugly head. Not recently though.
These infections have the potential to be devastating. At last count, 35 US hospitals have seen these superbugs and by some accounts, thousands of people are dying from them. Only half of all states require hospitals to report infection rates, therefore, public health officials fear the numbers may be even higher. According to Neil Fishman, director of infection control and epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania and president of the Society of Healthcare Epidemiologists, Israeli doctors are battling a superbug outbreak in Tel Aviv that has been traced to a patient from New Jersey .
What is the solution? According to the Centers for Disease Control, the single biggest cause of cross contamination is lack of proper sanitation and patient handling by hospital workers. Therefore, care that is much more stringent is needed from hospital workers backed up by serious disciplinary consequences if not followed. Moreover, and more importantly, let us hope that those unsung heroes, the medical researchers, continue to win the fight against deadly organisms, which are evolving every day.
Bill Shields, checked into a New York hospital recently with a highly treatable form of pneumonia. The doctors threw every thing they could at it but as CBS news reported, he was clinging to life because none of the antibiotics they used worked against the superbug infecting him. His particular infection, Klebsiella is one of five deadly superbugs turning up in America . In addition, just recently, a 67-year-old woman got a superbug at an outpatient clinic in Columbus , Ohio where she went for a simple pinched nerve in her back. A superbug called Acinetobactor, which used to be found only in battlefield hospitals, infected her. Seventeen days after her surgery, Ruth Burns was dead.
Brad Spellberg, the author of "Rising Plague" says, "What these organisms have done, by creating super-antibiotic resistance, is that they've set medicine back 70 years in time. There are increasing cases of infections caused by bacteria that are resistant to every FDA-approved antibiotic. And we literally have no treatment for those bacteria."
These superbugs have been found in numerous hospitals throughout the US and as Spellberg says, there is no treatment for them! According to reports, these bacteria can live for years on hospital surfaces, entering the body through open wounds, catheters and ventilators. Drug companies, the whipping child for most of us recently because of health care costs, used to rise to the occasion when a new strain of drug resistant bacteria raised its ugly head. Not recently though.
These infections have the potential to be devastating. At last count, 35 US hospitals have seen these superbugs and by some accounts, thousands of people are dying from them. Only half of all states require hospitals to report infection rates, therefore, public health officials fear the numbers may be even higher. According to Neil Fishman, director of infection control and epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania and president of the Society of Healthcare Epidemiologists, Israeli doctors are battling a superbug outbreak in Tel Aviv that has been traced to a patient from New Jersey .
What is the solution? According to the Centers for Disease Control, the single biggest cause of cross contamination is lack of proper sanitation and patient handling by hospital workers. Therefore, care that is much more stringent is needed from hospital workers backed up by serious disciplinary consequences if not followed. Moreover, and more importantly, let us hope that those unsung heroes, the medical researchers, continue to win the fight against deadly organisms, which are evolving every day.
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Top-level comments on this article: (7 total)Wonderful article Steve. Although it is more frequently reported than in the past, this is not a new occurrence to the human race. Population centers and therefore the spread of incurable diseases are becoming easier to transmit, but think back to bubonic, and other plagues that did not end humanity. That is why not only sanitation, which is a fairly new concept, and could be adding to the explosion of mutating bugs, which is why some are suggesting that these new anti-microbial sprays may not be such a good thing with overuse, but to continue to create more diverse genetic mutations of ourselves is extremely important in the numbers of humans that are susceptible to these new strains of bacteria.Hi Dave and thanks--I have heard about those aniti-microbisl soaps possibly causing more problems than good. I wish some expert/leader would make a decision on that and inform the world if it is a bad thing. Some of these mutations are scary--sounds like a cheap horror movie plot!
I see this kind of thing in movies, Steve, and never imagine that it's real. I think one of the problems is that we live such unhealthy lives, which makes us so vulnerable. Amen to the unsung heroes.Hi Singer--and how come we haven't heard more singing? I really believe those medical folks behind the scenes are heroes. No one really knows about them--no high profile etc just doing good stuff. Thanks for reading.
Steve
Throughout history, man has always fought to control bugs. Whether it be the pesky mosquito, the pestering fly, or the annoying nephew, he has found ways to win the war. He has also found ways to conquer the more deadly big (mini) bugs such as typhoid, polio, and yellow fever. He has even found ways to control the once out of control Aids virus. Being an optimist, I believe someone will soon come up with a cure for these new super killers. Until then, people need to keep sanitary, stay away from filth, and maybe buy some kryptonite.Very true and let me know where to get that kryptonite stuff....
SteveSmallville or Metropolis probably.
It's a scary and sad thought, but I think there are more Ruth Burns cases than we realize. We must trust that hosptial workers follow proper sanitation procedures but if we see that those standards are not being met while we're in the hospital, it should be reported. Great article Steve.There are a lot more Burn's stories--I'm sure. Yes report it, that's a good thing--thanks Brianna
Steve
That's scary isn't it- It reminds me of a story someone told me recently about a small town area where almost all of the residents had died from some kind of bacterial infection- They were interviewing this elderly lady who lived there,she said-"I'm just about the only one left here, but then I'm the only one who didn't go to the hospital when I got sick."- Makes you wonder doesn't it......good story Steve- Always- Ella
Wow! That story really makes me wonder...
Thanks,
Steve
Thanks for bringing this to the public's attention.
I will note here
"But again, if we happen to get a cut and see an infection brewing, we can just run to our doctors and get fixed up. Right? "
I would answer yes, this is what our society has been reduced to. Society has taught its members to run to the doctor even if it is not needed. This is one of the reasons that we are having this situation, not to mention the fact that these man-made "Superbugs" were created by our own scientists, hired by our own government.You're welcome and thanks for offering your view as well.
Steve
'Wash your hands' is what was drilled into us in our youth. Never more true than today. Great article, sir. Thank you.You broke it down best, "wash your hands" is the best thing we can all do.
Thanks,
Steve
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