Antibiotic Resistance Is Worrisome, but Not Hopeless

Image via iStock A century ago, the top three causes of death were infectious diseases. More than half of all people dying in the United States died because of germs. Today, they account for a few percent of deaths at most. We owe much of that, of course, to antibiotics, which came into use around the middle of the previous century. But we take them for granted, using them inappropriately and indiscriminately. This has led many to worry that our days of receiving benefits from them are numbered. Concern about…

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Antibiotic Resistance Is Worrisome, but Not Hopeless

Image via iStock A century ago, the top three causes of death were infectious diseases. More than half of all people dying in the United States died because of germs. Today, they account for a few percent of deaths at most. We owe much of that, of course, to antibiotics, which came into use around the middle of the previous century. But we take them for granted, using them inappropriately and indiscriminately. This has led many to worry that our days of receiving benefits from them are numbered. Concern about…

Read More