CDC Warns of "Nightmarish" new Superbug on the Rise.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/07/opinion/carroll-nightmare-bacteria/index.html

NPR Warns of C.R.E

CRE is immune to antibiotic treatment and has a 50% mortality rate. It's also only a matter of time before we start getting cases outside heath care settings. Like MRSA, but worse.

So, if you happen to come down with a nasty case of CRE during a hospital stay...just flip a coin.

Heads: You live.

Tails: The CRE spreads. You die.

well thats not terrifying or anyhting.

Well... shit. This'll do wonders for my already out of control paranoia.

Also, someone should send that second article to Brad, so we can get an hour of him being terrified on the next Bombcast.

well shit

tagging @Brad to this thread.

MRSA is just so passe.....

Never sleeping ever again

Allergies.

That's just the Captain Trips.

50% mortality rate is only for patients suffering from bacteremia due to CRE.

"This is a real public health issue. Creating more resistant strains is a serious long-term problem. The new warning is panicking a lot of people, but for the wrong reasons. You're very, very unlikely to get a CRE infection anytime in the near future. It's important that hospitals work to prevent that problem from getting worse, but almost everyone reading about it this week will be unaffected by it."

I'll hold off on worrying too much about this.

This is why i never go to a hospital.

well, it's only a matter of time. antibiotics' effectiveness is finite, and it's not like we've found a diversity of alternatives. MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR, or something.

Seriously though, if you have a reasonably strong immune system and wash your hands with suitable frequency, you are not likely to contract CRE in the first place.

Fox........Die.........

Yeah, the thread title makes it sound like a pandemic that's spreading like widlfire.

The whole thing is definitely being played up a little too much. Yes, there's a 50% mortality rate, but it's also probably worth pointing out there's only been something like six cases of people being infected. Three people dying is tragic, but you hardly have to worry about catching this yourself tomorrow.

(I think the numbers are slightly higher than that, but still).

Pageview journalism.

Yeah, you're definitely right about that. But at least the author had a good point about antibiotics that he may have been able to get across to more people so I'll forgive it this time.

It seems to affect people over their '70s

OK. This might be the lame-ass mainstream media trying to panic people....but antibiotic resistant bugs are legitimately goddamn scary. Once the CDC starts putting out press releases and notices to nursing homes and hospitals, that's something that needs to be taken seriously. Imagine an outbreak of this stuff at a hospital in a major metropolitan area.

Bacteria and viruses are fantastic lifeforms. They adapt and survive possibly better than anything else.

Maybe I've read "The Hot Zone" way too many times.

I'm also talking about this thread's title making it sound like this thing is already out there killing a bunch of people.

Interesting. For some reason I feel like it's like a lot of things on the news, over-exaggerated and something I'll never have to worry about. No disrespect to the OP, as I said it's an interesting topic lol. I just think that some people might be worrying more than they should.

EDIT: And if I'm wrong, then there's a good chance I'll be dead, so all you survivors won't have to point out how wrong I was and mock me.

I hate to look like such a nerd, but Captain Trips was a super flu.

meh. Sounds scary, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. I had its cousin MRSA and nearly died. Took a year of antibiotics and three years of surgeries to recover.

...

Wait...

I think that's actually a reason to take some of these concerns seriously...

I'll just sit back and relax here on my island nation away from the icky stuff.

Also, it'll probably be okay in the short term, and if you do basic hygiene anyway you should be alright.

aw man, i was hoping it was something that caused waking nightmares or something. that'd fit nicely with this weeks shenanigens.

That's why we need more people creating new antibiotics and less use of antibiotics in general (people, cattle, livestock etc.) There will be a day in which a bacteria will be resistant to every antibiotics ever made and the development of new kinds of antibiotics to combat it will come far too late.

Basic hygiene is not always going to cut it, while MSRA only spreads through direct contact...it's a bacteria that can survive in very harsh conditions. Think about airborne resistant bacteria for example, that's why we have such a problem with XDR and MDR Tuberculosis in Europe. While this news may be a bit overexaggerated, I hope people at least think about how we are causing most resistant bacteria ourselves. Stop feeding our animals with antibiotics.

Well I'm heading to Madagascar. I'm sure they'll shut down the ports with this news.