
Rising Plague
The Global Threat from Deadly Bacteria and Our Dwindling Arsenal to Fight Them
Brad Spellberg(Author)
Prometheus Books (Publisher)
Published on 22. September 2009
Book
Hardback
264 pages
978-1-59102-750-8 (ISBN)
Description
Antibiotic-resistant microbes infect more than 2 million Americans and kill over 100,000 each year. They spread rapidly, even in such seemingly harmless places as high school locker rooms, where they infect young athletes. Throughout the world, many more people are dying from these infections. Astoundingly, as antibiotic resistant infections are skyrocketing in incidence-creating a critical need for new antibiotics-research and development of new antibiotics has ground to a screeching halt!
In Rising Plague, Dr. Brad Spellberg-an infectious diseases specialist and member of a national task force charged with attacking antibiotic resistant infections-tells the story of this potentially grave public health crisis. The author shares true and very moving patient stories to emphasize the terrible frustration he and his colleagues have experienced while attempting to treat untreatable infections, not to mention the heart-break and tragedy that many of these patients' families had to endure. Dr. Spellberg corrects the nearly universal misperception that physician misuse of antibiotics and "dirty hospitals" are responsible for causing antibiotic-resistant infections. He explains the true causes of antibiotic resistance and of the virtual collapse of antibiotic research and development. Most important, he advocates ways to reverse this dire trend and instead bolster the production of desperately needed new and effective antibiotics. He also warns against complacency induced by the decades-old assumption that some miracle drug will always be available to ensure the continuation of our "antibiotic era." If we do nothing, we run the risk of inviting a bleak future when infectious diseases will once again reign supreme. Then many of the medical breakthroughs that we now take for granted-from routine surgery and organ transplants to intensive care and battlefield medicine-might all be threatened.
This crucial and timely book is lucidly written in terms that everyone can understand. It issues a call to action, explaining how, through a strong and concerted effort, we can all help prevent this nightmare scenario from happening. By following this courageous doctor's recommendations, we can assure that magic bullets will be there for our families and us in the future.
In Rising Plague, Dr. Brad Spellberg-an infectious diseases specialist and member of a national task force charged with attacking antibiotic resistant infections-tells the story of this potentially grave public health crisis. The author shares true and very moving patient stories to emphasize the terrible frustration he and his colleagues have experienced while attempting to treat untreatable infections, not to mention the heart-break and tragedy that many of these patients' families had to endure. Dr. Spellberg corrects the nearly universal misperception that physician misuse of antibiotics and "dirty hospitals" are responsible for causing antibiotic-resistant infections. He explains the true causes of antibiotic resistance and of the virtual collapse of antibiotic research and development. Most important, he advocates ways to reverse this dire trend and instead bolster the production of desperately needed new and effective antibiotics. He also warns against complacency induced by the decades-old assumption that some miracle drug will always be available to ensure the continuation of our "antibiotic era." If we do nothing, we run the risk of inviting a bleak future when infectious diseases will once again reign supreme. Then many of the medical breakthroughs that we now take for granted-from routine surgery and organ transplants to intensive care and battlefield medicine-might all be threatened.
This crucial and timely book is lucidly written in terms that everyone can understand. It issues a call to action, explaining how, through a strong and concerted effort, we can all help prevent this nightmare scenario from happening. By following this courageous doctor's recommendations, we can assure that magic bullets will be there for our families and us in the future.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Amherst
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Laminated cover
Dimensions
Height: 238 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
536 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-59102-750-8 (9781591027508)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
By Brad Spellberg M.D. - Foreword by David Gilbert
Content
To Die from an Untreatable Infection -- No One is Safe; Hard Lessons Learned from Mrs C; Infections, Antibiotics & Antibiotic Resistance; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus: Deadly Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Escape the Hospital; Beyond MRSA: Infections Resistant to Virtually All Antibiotics; Lack of Antibiotic Development; The War Against Microbes?; Forget Pharmaceutical Companies, the Government Can Create New Antibiotics -- Not!; "Toxic Pharmaceutical Politics" & Finger Pointing; So What Will Work?; What Can You Do To Help?; Consequences & Conclusions; Index.