World Health Organization: No, Seriously, Stop Abusing Antibiotics

James Hamblin | The Atlantic | April 30, 2014

In a consciously alarming report today, the agency said, "Without urgent action, we are heading for a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries can once again kill."

"The problem is so serious that it threatens the achievements of modern medicine. A post-antibiotic era—in which common infections and minor injuries can kill—far from being an apocalyptic fantasy, is instead a very real possibility for the twenty-first century."

That's according to a 257-page warning today from the World Health Organization (WHO) about increasingly unbeatable, pervasive infectious agents. The analysis of 114 countries is the most comprehensive global look at antimicrobial-drug resistance to date, and it found "very high" rates of resistant infections across all regions, including "alarming" rates in many parts of the world.