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The United States’ first known case of a superbug that cannot be destroyed by a last resort-style kind of antibiotic was detailed in a document by the U.S. Department of Defense on Thursday.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Tom Frieden reported the case at the National Press Club in Washington.
A 49-year-old Pennsylvania lady exhibited the presence of a rare kind of E. coli infection that is resilient to antibiotics, even Colistin, which doctors occasionally utilize as a last resort when other antibiotics are unsuccessful.
The lady visited a clinic in Pennsylvania, and a sample was forwarded to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Walter Reed discovered the bacteria in her urine. No other information was attainable, which includes how the lady became infected. She has not traveled outside the United States within the past 5 months.
The CDC and the Pennsylvania State Health Department mobilized instantly to investigate the case and to trace the contacts the patient could possibly have had to find if the bacteria had got spread around.
The CDC also mentioned it is searching for other potential cases in the health care facility the patient visited.
The bacteria have been identified in other infections outside the United States. Doctors discovered cases in.
One review indicates that this kind of infection can result in the deaths of half the patients who end up infected.
Antibiotic resistance has turned into a rising problem in this country. The World Health Organization has cautioned that it is one of the greatest threats to global health currently.
Frieden cautioned that despite the fact that this is the first case in the United States, we should anticipate more such superbugs in the near future. Frieden, who frequently warns doctors against overuse of antibiotics, advised scientists to create new drugs immediately.
Each year in the United States, at least 2 million folks end up infected with other kinds of bacteria that can not be defeated with most antibiotics, and at least 23,000 individuals perish each year as a consequence of those infections, as outlined by the CDC.
“The medicine cabinet is empty for some patients,” Frieden stated. “It is the end of the road unless we act urgently.”
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