On Feb. 27, 2017, the World Health Organization issued a warning saying antibiotic-resistant superbugs are a major threat and infection experts should divert the efforts to fighting these infections, according to The New York Times.
Here are six insights:
1. Former CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, MD, referred to this superbugs as "one of our most serious threats," NYT reports.
2. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control issued a report on Feb. 22, 2017, finding superbugs kill 25,000 Europeans annually.
3. CDC estimates superbugs kill at least 23,000 Americans every year.
4. The Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy reported in a study drug-resistant infections in children have increased sevenfold over the last eight years. The study authors said although these cases are rare, the jump is "ominous."
5. In its recent report, WHO defined carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a critical priority. The organization also listed classes of Enterobacteriaceae family resistant to both carbapenems and third-generation cephalosporins as a priority.
6. Britain and China pledged $72 million in recent years to a fund that supports antibiotic research.
