Opinion: Keep Antibiotics Working
Two years ago, a woman in Nevada died of an incurable carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae infection, resistant to all 26 antibiotics available in the U.S. to treat infection. Drug-resistant cases are increasing with astronomical costs, both human and financial. According to a study by researchers from Emory University and Saint Louis University published this year in Health Affairs, antibiotic resistance adds nearly $1,400 to the bill for treating a bacterial infection and costs the nation more than $2 billion annually.
The writers are, respectively, campaign manager with Fair Farms Maryland and president of the Maryland Public Health Association.