Superbugs: an invisible battle lurking around everyone, pay attention!

Three years have passed since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia outbreak in late 2019. Thanks to our effective measures, the outbreak has been largely under control since the middle of the year. The country has now largely returned to normal functioning. However, this is not the case abroad. The epidemic is raging in most countries and the number of patients is on the rise.

This battle against Newcastle Pneumonia still requires hard work and I don't know when it will be over. Medical scientists around the world are doing their best to create a vaccine and develop a limited number of effective drugs. Although some of these have been developed, there is not yet an effective and harmless drug that can be used by the general public. But it should be soon. I have a lot of faith in our country's front-line researchers.

I don't know if you have noticed, but with each new virus, humanity faces a challenge. The Black Death, smallpox, SARS, Ebola, Newcastle pneumonia, and so on are all examples of this. With each challenge, we lose many companions. With the knowledge of the viruses involved, we may slowly find ways to cope with them until they are defeated. It may be a long journey, but we will always be moving towards that goal.

Because of the epidemic this year, we have been focusing on viruses and vaccines. However, there may be a bigger threat slowly approaching us on the other side of the fence that we are not paying attention to. The reason why people get sick is not only viral infections but also bacterial infections (in addition to these two causes, there are other causes such as genetics).

Bacterial infections also cause a variety of diseases such as respiratory infections, skin infections, digestive tract infections, urinary tract infections, and bloodstream infections. Diseases caused by bacteria are not weak compared to those caused by viruses. Fortunately, however, humans have invented antibiotics that can kill bacteria by either inhibiting them or killing them.

Why would I say a bigger threat is looming? Because superbugs appear as bacteria the most accurate name would be multi-drug resistant bacteria. Superbugs are highly resistant to antibiotics and will not be inhibited or destroyed. Therefore, superbugs are not the name of a single bacterium, but all bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics.

If infected by a superbug, then the patient will need to use a different antibiotic to test which one works. But there are not many choices of antibiotics, there are only four main categories, each with its corresponding resistant bacteria. Therefore, once all the antibiotics have been tried and none are effective, the patient may not be cured.

Superbugs, like other bacteria, are found all over nature and may be found in humans and animals. Why are superbugs becoming more and more common? It is important to know that bacteria have been on the earth for hundreds of millions of years and are arguably the earliest living creatures. The fact that they have survived for such a long time and in such large numbers shows that they are extremely resilient and adaptable to their environment, with genetic mutations being the most important way to ensure their survival.

It started with the invention of the first antibiotic penicillin in 1928, but in less than a century bacteria mutated into drug-resistant genes. The emergence of drug-resistant genes is passed on to future generations or passed on to other bacteria, increasing survival rates. At the same time, new drug-resistant genes are created. Under such conditions, it is clear that superbugs will become more and more numerous. But if not more and more superbugs, they will get stronger and stronger until they have all the genes that are resistant to all antibiotics to ensure their survival. Superbugs have now emerged, that is, pan-resistant bacteria that are not afraid of almost all commonly used antibiotics.

In China, we have Chinese medicine handed down from our ancestors, but that doesn't mean we are immune to superbugs. The Western approach to medicine is to get rid of illnesses faster, rather than slowly tending to them as Chinese medicine does. In today's fast-paced society, with the notion that one cannot get sick or injured, more people are choosing to see and take Western medicine, of which antibiotics are the most commonly used drugs.

In China, the use of antibiotics can be called abusive, and antibiotics can be said to give a quick recovery. Apart from their quick efficacy, there is another reason why they are cheap. So it is easy for doctors to prescribe antibiotics, and even patients will automatically ask their doctors to prescribe antibiotics to relieve their symptoms. Antibiotics are proliferating in countries where local drugs are already available. There is abuse abroad, and antibiotic use is rising rapidly in all countries. Medical care is very expensive compared to what is available at home and abroad, and cheap and effective antibiotics are the preferred choice.

The proliferation of antibiotics represents an increase in superbugs, and the two increases are positively correlated. The more countries that consume antibiotics, the more superbugs there will be, resulting in more casualties. People can encounter superbugs anywhere, and hospitals that have admitted patients infected with superbugs are a significant source of superbugs. It's like a vicious circle. It is clearly meant to cure the disease, but it doesn't. Instead, it infects the superbug that cannot be cured. The superbugs multiply in this patient and more stay in this hospital.

It's not just humans who use antibiotics. There are many antibiotics used for animals, whether they are domestic pets or animals sold for money. Still, you can't escape those two things. It was quick and it was cheap. Likewise, it is not uncommon for superbugs to appear in animals and pass them on to humans.

The World Health Organisation has published the twelve most dangerous bacteria, which are Acinetobacter baumannii, Rhizobium soil bacillus, Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Helicobacter pylori, Bacillus spp. , Salmonella spp. , gonococcus, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae, Shigella spp. Greece has made it clear that all of the above germs are present. So traveling abroad can be quite risky, especially if you get injured there and have to go to the hospital. The probability of superbug infections can increase considerably.

The superbugs are not the only ones mentioned above, and new ones are constantly emerging. For example, the newly discovered superbug Klebsiella pneumonia has withstood the test of 26 antibiotics and is almost invincible. Fortunately, we still have some antibiotics to deal with for the time being.

The United Nations and the World Health Organization have launched a related global action plan calling for the further data collection on antibiotic use and infections worldwide, deeper guidance on the use of antibiotics in people, and more funding for the development of new analytical methods and research on new active agents.

These methods and measures are proving to be effective. While we can't completely eradicate superbugs, these methods can extend our time and give us more time to figure out how to fight them. And you and I can be a part of that by reducing the use of antibiotics, washing our hands regularly and maintaining personal hygiene. Each person's small amount of power can become a powerful force. If we don't do something, then one-day humanity will be defeated by superbugs!

I think it's a summary of the main points:

1. Superbugs the most accurate name for them would be multi-drug resistant bacteria. Superbugs are highly resistant to antibiotics and will not be inhibited or destroyed. Therefore, superbugs are not the name of a single bacterium, but all bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics.

2. Because antibiotics are quick and cheap, they are abused worldwide. The proliferation of antibiotics represents an increase in superbugs, and the growth of both is positively correlated. The more countries that consume antibiotics, the more superbugs there will be, resulting in more casualties. People can encounter superbugs anywhere.

3. The United Nations and the World Health Organization have launched a related global action plan calling for the further data collection on antibiotic use and infections worldwide, deeper guidance on public antibiotic use, and more funding for research to develop new analytical methods and new active agents.

What we should do is reduce the use of antibiotics, wash our hands regularly and maintain personal hygiene.