Antibiotic resistant bacteria is on the rise across the United States. According to the CDC, “more than 23,000 Americans die each year from infections caused by germs resistant to antibiotics.” They recently released a report with even more startling news. In 2017 there were over 200 cases of “nightmare” bacteria found in 27 states. According to LiveScience:

One particularly concerning type of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, which has been dubbed “nightmare” bacteria. These bacteria are not only resistant to many antibiotics but are also highly lethal, killing up to 50 percent of infected patients, according to the CDC.

Doctors liken the spread of CRE and other antibiotic-resistant germs to a wildfire, which is difficult to contain once it spreads widely.

Even more concerning is that 1 in 10 people show no symptoms at all.  And while the “nightmare bacteria” known as CRE has not been found in all states (yet), general antibiotic resistance is just about everywhere.

The CDC suggests an aggressive approach. No, they don’t want you to go out and buy containment suits and build a bunker, though that is my suggestion. They emphasize that “early and aggressive action—when even a single case is found—can keep germs with unusual resistance from spreading in health care facilities and causing hard-to-treat or even untreatable infections.” This includes health care providers identifying resistant germs rapidly and “using infection control measures such as hospital gloves, gowns and more stringent cleaning in the rooms of infected patients. They also recommend testing patients without symptoms who may carry and spread the germs.”