Its always interesting to compare the public perception of scientific technologies to their corresponding scientific interpretation. In the case of antibiotics, the word “antibiotics” is often seen by the layman as a panacea to illness and disease; a prescription should equal recovery. And yet, the true war between the ever-evolving infectious microbes and the commanding scientists developing troops of medicine for immunological warfare remains largely hidden from the public eye. Even though news of antibiotic resistance is on the rise due to its increasing imminence, it has yet to be as largely publicized as other health concerns such as obesity or the coronavirus. As such, antibiotic use has continued to be abused to a concerning extent, and more should be done to combat this silent epidemic.
Perhaps one of the reasons no one outside of the scientific community is paying attention to the issue of antibiotic resistance is that it doesn’t appear real or tangible enough; people aren’t dying directly because of it. And yet, it’s a big enough concern that the World Health Organization published an article outlining the threat antibiotic resistance poses to global health. In addition to over-presciption of antibiotics in cases where they aren’t necessary or effective (as in viral infections and patients whose symptoms can be controlled otherwise), the WHO notes that a lack of private investment into the research for new antibiotic agents has placed a limit on the efficacy of initiatives to combat antimicrobial resistance. In other words, the people with the money capable of driving innovation don’t care enough about this problem. Moreover, countries, not just individual physicians, need to implement policies that directly affect this issue because otherwise, no one will be motivated enough to make a difference before it’s too late.
Another global driving issue behind antimicrobial resistance lies in the livestock industry. Zhang et al. note that antibiotics are widely used in livestock animals for disease and infection control as well as for feed additives to promote animal growth. However, excessive use of antibiotics becomes an issue when much of the antibiotics that are used are actually excreted by the animals into the environment. Now the antibiotics are purely detrimental, serving no purpose beneficial to humankind and only increasing the robustness of the antibiotic resistant microbial population. Once again, the public aren’t made privy to what is going on behind the scenes, and even labels such as “antibiotic-free meat” are vague and offer no insight to this battle. It’s no wonder then, and a great concern, that no one is talking about the growing dangers of antibiotic resistance.
Is Cereal a Soup 