Despite the hilarious image of Lewis holding some pills, the reality here is anything but. In fact, it’s quite terrifying. Lee Perry, formerly of Epic Games and one of the co-founders of Bitmonster brought this article on antibiotic resistance to my attention a while back. It’s a long piece, but certainly worth your time. And to be quite honest, it’s very terrifying. But it seems the truth isn’t that far off. After taking about six months off from Intensive Care, I started working some shifts in ICU again. And the reality is pretty scary.
Flu and pneumonia season are in full swing and I’ve been seeing quite a few cases of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) a multi-drug resistant organism, pop up. I’ve been a nurse for seven years now and remember when Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was rare. It was terrifying then, but I’m sure I’m not the only healthcare provider who’s come to dismiss MRSA in a way.
It’s not that bad, right?
Sure, until you see what a nasty staph infection looks like. Then you’d see Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE) pop up, which was certainly a bit unsettling. But we still had meds to combat it. Finally, we’re up to KPC and other mutli-drug resistant strains. And even that is treatable. But it scares the shit out of me and makes me think of the article I linked above. Granted, some of what I’m seeing could be regional differences. I’m currently working south of Atlanta, Georgia where I’d been working at various places in North Carolina for the last three years. Regardless, it doesn’t change the fact that things are getting a bit terrifying. In the article I mentioned, Dr. Brad Spellberg, an infectious disease specialist and former researcher at Phiftzer, says the following:
When antibiotics came along, it totally revolutionized things. It gave us an intervention. It allowed us to actually treat diseases.
Ever get an ear-ache?. Amoxicillin used to be the main form of treatment when I was a kid. Remember that yummy bubblegum-flavored goop? Yeah., that’s what it was. They still use that at times, but you’re also seeing two-drug combos with a dose of steroids. I know because that’s exactly what my doctor gave me a few weeks back when I had an ear infection. Now we could be seeing a variety of factors in play here. First off, I had a hell of an ear infection, so my doc may have figured the two-drug combo would be better than simply amoxicillin. Or it could have been her preference in drugs. Or (and disturbingly, I may add) it could have been the common form of treatment nowadays. The point is, we’re heading down a road that is very scary. And I bet if you look closely at the medications in your daily life and read the fine print, there may be more going on here behind the scenes than you or I realize.
The biggest part of the article that really sat with me was how as a society (and that’s worldwide) we need to value and appreciate antibiotics. In the last two weeks I’ve seen a thirty-five year old, along with a forty-five year old pass away from H1N1 flu. Granted, that’s viral (and there may have been other commodities at play), but the gravity of the situation sat with me.
I’m thiry-one. Those patients weren’t that much older than me. They were young.
I think of when my step-son, wife or myself get a cold that won’t clear up. We go to the doctor and get a magic pill. And after a few days we’re right as rain.
But what if that pill isn’t there? And what if we don’t get better?
That’s a very real possibility. And I can’t deny that such a reality may be coming sooner than we think.
So we damn well better place value on antibiotics, as the article says. And we better create financial incentives for companies to develop them. Or we’re going to be in a world of hurt.
UPDATE - One of my friends and fellow contributors brought this to my attention. Interesting as I was thinking about a future post discussing this kind of technology and the possibility of a singularity.
Click here to view the embedded video.
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