Superbugs

What’s the fuss about superbugs?

Before antibiotics, many people became seriously ill or even died from infections we see as nuisances today. Take a sinus infection as an example. With antibiotics, we can stop a nose infection from moving into your lungs. Superbugs are caused by bacteria you can’t treat using the usual antibiotics – and the way we (over)use antibiotics is one of the reasons they exist.

How superbugs are born

To understand how we got to superbugs, it’s necessary to go back in time a little to when Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928. This discovery marks the start of modern antibiotics. This great medical breakthrough meant surgeries became safer, and that we could cure bacterial infections.

As antibiotics became common, certain bacteria came into contact with them more often. This sparked bacterial evolution. While antibiotics kill most bacteria, the strongest strains survive. This is becoming a problem since scientists are worried we are approaching a time where antibiotics will no longer work.

Tuberculosis, our local superbug

South Africa is one of the countries with the most people with tuberculosis (TB) in the world, so our doctors have seen multi drug resistant TB (at least one kind of antibiotic doesn’t work) and extensively drug resistant TB (only two or less kinds of antibiotics work). Since superbugs have the same symptoms as bugs, you might only find out you have a superbug when the usual treatment doesn’t work.

Why do we have a superbug version of TB? While there are many reasons, one is our habit of stopping medicine when we start feeling better. To cure non-drug resistant TB, you have to take medicine for 60 days. Even if you start feeling better, you should take all the antibiotics to make sure none of the bacteria survives.

You can help fight antibiotic resistance

Everyone can help to slow down superbugs or even stop them from starting.

Here’s how:

  • Don’t ask for antibiotics for colds and flu – antibiotics can’t cure viruses, they only work on bacteria.
  • If you’re prescribed antibiotics, take all the pills as instructed – this makes sure you kill all the bacteria.

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