Experts warn antibiotic misuse could lead ‘superbug’ to kill almost 40,000 in five years

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, has released a report, warning that an estimated 37,000 people could die in the next five years from antibiotic-resistant "superbug" infections. The public health institute is calling the coordination of hospitals, nursing homes and health authorities to prevent the threats of the infections in the coming years.

The CDC said a simple coordination could prevent or at least reduce the number of drug-resistant superbug infections and save thousands of lives in the United States. The public health institute stated that 619,000 or 70 percent of infections and 37,000 deaths could be prevented in the next five years from antibiotic-resistant bacteria if hospitals will improve infection-control system and cooperate to send alerts to other hospitals and concerned organisations, when infections spread.

Antibiotic-resistant superbugs are bacteria that no longer respond to drugs designed to kill it, these are the results of overprescribed antibiotics, the incorrect use to treat viruses, or when patients don't finish the entire course. The improper treatment reverses its effect and bacteria adapt and become resistant to antibiotics that can bring infections which can’t be controlled.

The superbugs cause more than two million illnesses and at least 23,000 deaths each year in the United States, according to the CDC. To date, there are already four types of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections known: the CRE, or carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae; multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa; invasive MRSA, or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; and CDIs, or Clostridium difficile infections.

"We can dramatically reduce these infections. If health care facilities, nursing homes, and public health departments work together to improve antibiotic use and infection control so patients are protected," CDC Director Tom Frieden said.

However, in the current situation, many hospitals work independently to control patient infections and don't report outbreaks to local or state health departments. The self-reliant approach, according to CDC, will not work and would worsen the infections, and deaths may be a result.

In addition, the superbug infections can potentially turn to a widespread challenge, the CDC report stated, as drug-resistant bacteria could hide on patient’s skin or in their body without showing signs or symptoms. With these in mind, Dr John Jernigan, director of the Office of HAI Prevention Research and Evaluation of the CDC's Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion suggests hospitals, nursing homes and health authorities to “think as a community when it comes to combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria."

The public health institute also suggests doctors to practice "antimicrobial stewardship." The CDC said the responsible use of antibiotics may also help reduce the estimated number of infections and illnesses caused by superbugs.

The proposed antimicrobial stewardship will help doctors to use the right kind of antibiotics, at the right dose, for the right reason, according to Dr Jesse T. Jacob, assistant professor at Emory University School of Medicine. With the cautions, the fight against drug-resistant superbugs is one of US President Barack Obama's major public health priorities.

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