Antibiotic Resistance: When Drugs Don’t Work Anymore

Episode 15

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Projects: Antibiotic Resistance
Antibiotic Resistance: When Drugs Don’t Work Anymore
Antibiotic resistance

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In this episode

What happens when the medicine we rely on to fight infections stops working? Bacteria evolve, and some can develop into superbugs that repel antibiotics. To fight back, we need fresh remedies—but it’s been more than 30 years since a new type of antibiotic has made it to market. Meanwhile, more than 2 million Americans fall ill with an antibiotic-resistant infection each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 23,000 of them die. U.S. Army veteran Carl Romm was 27 when he lost his life because of drug-resistant bacteria. In this episode, his parents, Chris and Joyce Romm, share their story with Pew’s Laura Margison and discuss the importance of combating this global public health threat. To learn more, visit pewtrusts.org/afterthefact.

Related Resources

The Threat of Antibiotic Resistance

Supermoms Against Superbugs

A Super-Heroic Fight Against Superbugs

Trends in U.S. Antibiotic Use

Urge Congress to Fund the Fight Against Superbugs

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What Is Antibiotic Resistance—and How Can We Fight It?

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Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” are a major threat to modern medicine. But how does resistance work, and what can we do to slow the spread? Read personal stories, expert accounts, and more for the answers to those questions in our four-week email series: Slowing Superbugs.