“The thoughtless person playing with penicillin treatment is morally responsible for the death of the man who succumbs to infection with the penicillin-resistant organism.”

– Alexander Fleming, 1945

By 2050, 10 million people are predicted to die a year because of antibiotic-resistant infections.

It’s been 100 years after he warned us. Now it’s too late.

The thoughtless person has played. Their responsibility for death has come.

And it will be a bigger killer than cancer is now.

You can kick and scream about it all you like. Or perhaps you’ll spin around the room like a persistent turd in the toilet bowl, slamming the blame against anyone willing to listen; but nothing will change.

It’s a fact that we all must swallow and accept before tackling…. this article.

Now I’m sure you’re all thinking…

“Which arsehole been playing with my boy Fleming’s magic drug?”

Well i’m afraid we all got ourselves in this giant pickle.

And it’s all because of our carelessness.

In a recent Ted Talk, public health journalist Maryn McKenna stated that:

50% of the antibiotics given in US hospitals are unnecessary,

45% of GP issued prescriptions are for illnesses that antibiotics cannot help,

And 80% of the antibiotics sold in the US every year are for farm animals.

So it sounds like for the past 40 years doctors have acted like that chippy dude on a night out who decides to buy far too many unwanted tequila shots for everyone when they already fucked. We need water and bed, not more tequila/antibiotics. #takecarenotantibiotcs

Of course, the general public is to blame also. For example, the WHO found in China 53% of people think they should stop taking antibiotics after feeling better, without finishing the full course. Whilst 76% of Egyptians believe antibiotics can be used to treat viral infections like colds and flu.

But at least the UK only allow medical professionals to prescribe these drugs. Imagine if any old Tom Dick or Harry could buy them over the counter.

Well I’m afraid Tom and Dicks are buying them in many third world countries.

Unregulated supply and use of antibiotics have vastly accelerated antibiotic resistance. Chinese pig farmers whose entire knowledge of antibiotics relies on the basis that it’s just a cure-all wonder drug caused a huge problem in 2015.

Chinese Pig evidence that time is running out

Colistin is our antibiotic of last resort, our last defence against (e.g.) multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, (cause of pneumonia). It gives horrific side effects in humans, thus its use is limited to farm animals only… charming. But don’t worry, the animals got their revenge on us. In 2015, excessive Colistin use caused Colistin-resistant bacteria. The culprit? Piglets. (Well really the Chinese farmers but let’s blame the pigs).

This was BIG and terrifying news for many scientists. A humongous wake-up call.

Even the most superior scientists who worked their way up to privileged pen-pushers suddenly scrambled back to the lab to investigate this new resistance.

mcr-1 was the name given to the new colistin-resistance gene; identified from the Chinese pig samples. Worldwide examination of bacterial genomes found the mrc-1 in over 30 countries over 5 continents. It had already spread.

These countries include the UK, Thailand, and Canada; all of which detected mcr-1 already in human samples. So yep that’s right, even you could be harbouring it in your gut poo right now.

But the worst was still to come.

When this study found only 12% of colistin-resistant bacteria (from livestock) bearing mcr-1, it was apparent another gene was at play… mcr-2, (must have taken a while to think that name up).

mcr-2 is mcr-1’s bigger, scarier brother because it’s found on plasmids. Generally exclusive to bacteria, plasmids are circular pieces of DNA which are easily transferred to other bacteria, (same or different species). This means mcr-2 is 1200-fold more likely to be transferred than mcr-1. Thus spreading resistance much faster… Scary times.

So now we enter the untreatable bacterial infections era, (again).

Let’s look at the upcoming dangers and then how you can survive them.

I’ll paint you a picture of what 2050 will look like if we don’t find a solution:

A paper cut could be a death sentence.

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It won’t just be those of the third world who die of horrific diseases like syphilis, even beautiful people from the ‘maybe it’s Maybelline’ adverts will get it after sleeping with Chad.

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Expect meat and fish prices to soar. Antibiotics are often used to fatten up and prevent sickness in livestock to gain higher yield at a lower price. However, I’m afraid the vegetarians among you aren’t exempt from higher fruit prices. A drug-resistant variant of the bacteria that cause fire blight is currently destroying apple trees in America. It’s also found that fresh salad vegetables create a reservoir for antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

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Infectious diseases like pneumonia will once again prevail as top killers, likely surpassing cancer.

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Gonorrhea will likely be incurable. In 2006 , CDC had 5 recommended treatment options for gonorrhea—now the U.S. has only one option remaining. (Two if you include killing yourself).

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Having a hip replacement or baby (whichever tickles your fancy) may become a life or death decision.

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Not washing your hands after toilet time could potentially kill a man, or worst still.. you. (Buy shares in hand soap now).

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Unvaccinated Chickens will no longer lay eggs with lion stamps .

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Transplants will become impossible. Organ recipients require immunosuppressive drugs for life, (to prevent organ rejection). But with a compromised immune system, they will inevitably succumb to deadly bacterial infection.

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In 2050, expect to find hospital beds once again aligned next to the River Thames. There is now a form of tuberculosis known as XDR-TB (extensively drug-resistant TB), which is resistant to the most potent TB treatments. Fresh air was one of the apparent cures for TB during the pre-antibiotic era.

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Routine surgery such as removing a burst appendix once again becomes a seriously dangerous operation. It’s crazy to think that anyone you know (or perhaps yourself) who’ve had their appendix removed would probably cease to exist right now if they had just been born in a different era.

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The fun stupid people who risk their lives to impress others would all soon cease to exist. Arguably the most depressing of all points.

– So in summary, basically 2050 = death death death death death, right?

Well not if you follow this survival guide…

So to feel like that cool kid Jimmy who was the envy of all his friends in school because he had the 5 ball-bearing super smooth action fidget spinner, here is all the advice you need to survive and thus be the envy of all YOUR mates during the 2050 post-antibiotic apocalyptic era…

Click below for part 2!

Antibiotics Apocalypse – Survival Guide (Part 2)