SA: The Missing Link in Fighting Antibiotic Resistance

The effects of antibiotic resistance are visible worldwide and not just on the human body. Rivers around the world are polluted with antibiotics, 2.8 million people in the United States suffer from drug resistant infections per year, and complications from these infections will cost the world up to $100 trillion by 2050. These revelations have forced health care leaders to imagine different methods of patient diagnosis and infection treatment. We have already taken steps to remedy this issue: the CDC reports that the number of hospitals complying with its antibiotic stewardship program has doubled since 2014, more time and money are being spent researching new antibiotics, and nonprofit entities are investing in the development of novel treatments for diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis. The next steps in this effort call for improved rapid diagnostics and data-sharing capabilities to lower to risk of antibiotic resistance going forward.

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