The Post-Antibiotic Apocalypse Is Here

Every year, more people die from microbes that have evolved to evade modern medicine than from malaria and AIDS combined. By 2050, antimicrobial resistance could overtake cancer as the leading cause of death. The post-antibiotic apocalypse is already here, and we must learn to live with it, say Lorenzo Servitje and Clare Chandler. You have been exposed to antimicrobial resistance. You have probably seen news reports about the “silent pandemic” and warnings about “superbugs.” A doctor may have hesitated to prescribe an antibiotic, or a pharmacist may have advised you to complete your course of antibiotics, even if you felt better. For those unfortunate enough to develop a drug-resistant infection, this can mean seeking a second-line antibiotic and, if that fails, a long recovery period during which the body uses its own defenses to fight the infection. Unfortunately, for many, recovery becomes impossible. Patients, families and healthcare professionals become patients who cannot recover from the infection.

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