In the January 2007 Scientific American, the editors wrote a very intriguing perspective on fighting antibiotic resistance, specifically through human intake of food and water. The article compares the U.S.’s policies concerning procedures involving possible Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) patients to those of other nations, boasting horrific statistics. With an annual death rate of 13,000 in the States, MRSA is certainly causing its bit of damage along with other antibiotic-resistant infections.
After reading an article like this you truly see a vital problem, as an antibiotic-resistant population would certainly require a much different health-care system than what we have in place currently. Even more, these types of infections could lead to massive outbreak with virtually few options for treatment and curing.
After looking deeper into the situation I soon realized that this was the real deal, not just speculation hype. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention calls it “one of the world’s most pressing public health problems” and has launched a campaign against this seemingly certain future crisis. But where can the problem truly be solved? Naturally, clinicians and other health-care professionals are the first to be blamed; yet, in reality, the only true method of bypassing this fate is through education of the general public. For the most, that is where the problem lies. Especially during the current flu season, more and more of the public will exchange antibiotics to fight a pointless battle against viral infections, contributing to the overall resistance that is to come.
But in the same sense, new policies must be designed to combat this resistance. The article specifically contrasts the Dutch practice of isolating MRSA high-risk patients–such as those coming from nursing homes–until they test to be MRSA-free, against the U.S.’s major lack of policies concerning isolation of MRSA patients. The article also mentions other particular European laws concerning the limitation and ban of antibiotic use in agriculture and animals.
All we can do is hope that the European “ounce of prevention” philosophy will wear off on us soon enough.
