Interview conducted by Jaime Ortega.
Melissa Brower, is a public affairs specialist for the CDC.
1. Everyone talks about Ebola, (perhaps media hype) but isn’t KPC, MSRA, CRE or C. DIFF presently a more dangerous threat to the US than the African disease considering they’re 20.000 cases per year? – In your opinion, has the media done a fair job reporting on these new super bacteria diseases considering the amount of deaths caused by Super-Bacteria as oppose to media coverage on Ebola?
It is true that drug-resistant infections do infect and kill many more people in the United States than Ebola. However, the media attention on Ebola right now is not surprising given that the recent U.S. cases represent the very first time that this frightening disease has been seen in the United States.
2. Why is super-bacteria so deadly? And can antibiotics cure a patient been infected?
People infected with drug-resistant organisms are more likely to have longer and more expensive hospital stays, and may be more likely to die as a result of the infection. When the drug of choice for treating their infection doesn’t work, they require treatment with second- or third-choice drugs that may be less effective, more toxic, and more expensive.
3. Should people be more concerned about Ebola, or more aware about the spread of super bacteria? Which of the two is easier to get infected with?
Ebola virus is spread through direct contact with the blood or body fluids (including but not limited to feces, saliva, sweat, urine, vomit, and semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola. Healthcare providers caring for Ebola patients and the family and friends in close contact with Ebola patients are at the highest risk of getting sick because they may come in contact with the blood or body fluids of sick patients. People also can become sick with Ebola after coming in contact with infected wildlife. For example, in Africa, Ebola may spread as a result of handling bushmeat (wild animals hunted for food) and contact with infected bats.
Drug-resistant infections can spread in multiple ways, depending on the specific infection. Please see the CDC website for more information about specific infections, including MRSA, C. difficile, and CRE.
4. Have antibiotics used by humans cause to some degree super bacteria to become more resistant? (Perhaps also farm animal antibiotics used in animal farms)
Studies indicate that 30-50% of antibiotics prescribed in hospitals are unnecessary or inappropriate. There is no doubt that overprescribing and misprescribing is contributing to the growing challenges posed by Clostridium difficile and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. See the antibiotic resistance FAQ linked here for more info.
5. Are viruses like Ebola easier to stop than Super Bacteria? Have we contained Super Bacteria or found the right strategy?
Antimicrobial stewardship interventions have been proven to improve individual patient outcomes, reduce the overall burden of antibiotic resistance, and save healthcare dollars. If everyone — healthcare providers, hospital administrators, policy makers, and patients — works together to employ effective antibiotic stewardship programs, we can improve patient care, more effectively combat antibiotic resistance and ultimately save lives.
See this link for information on Ebola prevention.
6. Has the government contribute to help control Super bug disease? Could they do anything more effectively to prevent more deaths?
Check out this link for information on the National Strategy to Combat Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria.
7. KPC, is the worst out of all Superbacteria strains, or is there a more deadly strain?
There are other infections, such as MRSA and C. difficile infection, that are more widespread and therefore kill more people in the United States. However, CRE is very concerning because it is on the rise among patients in medical facilities and these bacteria have become resistant to all or nearly all the antibiotics we have today. Almost half of hospital patients who get bloodstream infections from CRE bacteria die from the infection. For more information, see our recent report, Antibiotic resistance threats in the United States, 2013, which gives a snapshot of the burden and threats posed by the antibiotic-resistant germs that have the most impact on human health.
8. Have antibiotics stop to function at the virus and bacteria level? What is next?
If you are asking what steps are being taken to combat antibiotic resistance, please see the National Strategy to Combat Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria. Also see CDC’s drug resistance website for additional information.
9. Ebola cases are nothing new to the US. Why is Ebola so popular now as oppose to the isolated cases in the past?
On September 30, CDC confirmed the first case of Ebola to be diagnosed in the United States. This person had traveled from Liberia to Dallas, Texas. The 2014 Ebola epidemic is the largest in history, affecting multiple countries in West Africa.
