Millions Terrified Over the Superbug found in USA

In our world of entertainment, we all watch television shows and movies about viruses that will end up taking over the world and killing off the entire populations. Is this all just fictional melodrama or could doctors and scientists be onto finding a disease that can wipe us all out? Apparently, it seems that we may be closer than we have ever thought possible. It is a very scary thought, but it seems that a Superbug has been found that is completely resistant to antibiotics. Scientists and doctors are baffled by the bacteria that has been spreading in a 49-year-old woman in the United States. Needless to say, not only our they worried, but so are the rest of us.

Dodging the Colistin Antibiotic
In April, a Pennsylvania woman was admitted to the hospital with a terrible infection. Doctors had diagnosed it as a rare case of E. coli. This type of E. coli has shown that the antibiotic called Colistin will not fight it off. This antibiotic is generally used when all else fails in treating infections and viruses. Doctors are still trying to use many other antibiotics on the woman in order to help treat the Superbug.
The real worry is the tiny gene that is in the Superbug called mcr-1. Doctors are terrified that it can keep spreading to other bacteria in the body and continue to be a bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Doctors are scared because bacteria of this nature generally will kill over half of the people that they infect. This is the first type of bacteria like this to be found in a human so far and scientists and doctors alike are trying to determine where it came from and how they can treat it properly. Could this be the Superbug that will take out large populations of people like in the television shows?

The Superbug Bacteria in Pigs
Like a lot of viruses and infections, these bacteria have been found in animals as well. A strain very similar to it was found in some pigs in China. In 2015, there were many cases of the bacteria found in raw pork and scientists are still trying to figure out what farm that pork came from. They think that if they can find the culprit, they can be one step closer to making sure that they rid the world of this bacteria altogether. Thus, saving more and more people from becoming infected with this type of E. coli.
There are many different farms all over the world that are now being tested in order to make sure that the meats that they are sending to the supermarkets are not infected. Once these bacteria get out, it could lead to some very deadly cases of the infection. If this is an infection that fights antibiotics, this could begin to affect quite a few million people all over the world. Farmers and scientists alike are all doing their best to ensure that these cases are only few and far between and do not continue to spread all over the world.

How bacteria Becomes Resistant
Quite a few doctors and scientists think that there are many different reasons why these bacteria are suddenly growing more and more resistant to being treated with antibiotics. One of these reasons can be found in the way meats and animals are treated once they are ready to be sold to supermarkets. The antibiotic, Colistin has been used on animals in China for quite some time. Many scientists are now saying that because this drug has been used on pigs, the bacteria could have evolved into what it is today. By learning to dodge the Colistin, the bacteria have grown completely resistant to it. Shortly after the bacteria grew stronger and stronger, this is when it passed from the pork to a human.
In many countries, like China, the food and livestock conditions are not as sanitary as we know them in the United States. The conditions in China are dangerous because there is often raw meat and live animals at the markets which are frequented by people. These markets sell meat that is room temperature, sometimes hotter. This could be an easy way for any type of deadly virus or infection to breed. In this case, some very deadly bacteria that is now scaring many doctors and scientists alike.

What About Other Infections
As doctors and scientists warn all of the world’s health organizations about this bacteria, they have more concerns as it continues to grow stronger and more resistant to antibiotics. This could be the beginning of a time when smaller infections become deadly and harder to fight off. If these bacteria continue to spread, a common cold or pneumonia could both become illnesses that end up killing millions of people. The doctors continue to do everything that they can in order to try and find a way to stop this Superbug.
Doctors have been very wary about using Colistin when fighting different infections. The side effects that it has are not very friendly to a patient’s kidneys and liver. It is still being used because it has been proven to fight off some of the deadliest infections and viruses in the world. However, doctors are certainly having a rough time getting it to fight off the bacteria in the 49-year-old patient.

Is There a Reason to Panic?
With all of this talk about the Superbug, many people are beginning to worry. Should we all turn into vegans and stop eating the delicious meats that we love to eat? Is there a reason for us to panic over these bacteria yet? Public health officials are telling people that as of right now, they should not be worried. They should carry on with their lives until there is some national announcement to worry. They are doing everything that they can in order to find a cure to stop these bacteria from growing and producing more rapidly.
Doctors have said that the bacteria can be killed once it has been cooked so for now, you can rest and eat all of the bacon that you usually do or have a cookout with those pork chops. Keep an eye on the news for any new announcements and findings on the bacteria.