Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Drug-Proof Superbug Turns Deadly

Antibiotic-resistant staph kills more Americans than AIDS

By Sam Gale Rosen, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 16, 2007 11:26 PM CDT

(Newser) – An antibiotic-resistant strain of staph kills more Americans each year than HIV, accounting for almost 19,000 deaths annually, the first national stats on the superbug reveal. The super-staph is treatable but can quickly lead to dangerous "flesh-eating" infections. "We really need to... Read full story »

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

You need to Log in to Newser to comment. Don't have an account yet? Sign up now!

There are no comments

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

What's Popular Now on Facebook

'Serpent Pastor' Dies of Snake Bite

Oosp: Romney's New App Misspells 'America'

Washington Post (Source Grid »)

More on the research into a "huge public health problem"
New York Times

More on the extent of the problem and some possible remedies
WebMD

Abstract of the journal article
Journal of the American Medical Association

Health • US

medicine • bacteria • staph infections • superbug • antibiotics • infection • epidemiology • drug resistant • MRSA

More Newser Stories

Screening Isn't Slowing Staph: Study

Researchers back more cost-effective, targeted testing to catch superbug

(NEWSER) - Widespread screening of hospital patients for the drug-resistant staph bacteria MRSA doesn’t appear to reduce the number of infections, a new study finds. Swiss researchers screened more than 10,000 patients for the superbug when they were admitted to the University of Geneva Hospitals. Another 10,000 weren’t tested. The rates of MRSA infections were similar for both groups, the Chicago Tribune reports. More»

Staph Infection Rate Stuns Experts

Eye-opening numbers on antibiotic-resistant 'superbugs' dwarf previous estimates

(NEWSER) - Over a million hospital patients contract a dangerous, drug-resistant staph infection every year, a rate 10 times more than previously thought. Tens of thousands infected with antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" may die from what officials call one of the nation's most serious public-health threats, today's Chicago Tribune reports. More»

'Miracle' Era of Antibiotics Is Ending

Modern medicine can't fight off superbugs for long

(NEWSER) - Good news: The superbug MRSA seems to be under control. Bad news: A new one called NDM-1 is on the loose . Get used to it, warns Sarah Boseley in the Guardian . "The era of antibiotics is coming to a close," she writes. These "miracle medicines" can't fight off ever-evolving bacteria for long—figure another 10 years under a best-case scenario. "The post-antibiotic apocalypse is within sight." More»

New Superbug Highlights Poor Hospital Hygiene

Deadly C. diff., aided by over-prescription of antibiotics, is on the rise

(NEWSER) - A deadly new superbug—beefed up by the over-prescription of antibiotics and spread by dirty hospitals and nursing homes—is raising concern in the medical community, MSNBC reports. The so-called C. diff is a mutated form of a benign bug typically transmitted in unsanitary medical facilities, especially bathrooms. Cases are on the rise, and the threat now rivals that of the headline-grabbing MRSA superbug, MSNBC notes. More»

Doctors Fear Flu-Superbug Combo

Mix kills 2 kids in Boston after taking 22 lives last year

(NEWSER) - Doctors nationwide took notice yesterday when two Boston kids died of a combined flu and fatal superbug—an increasingly common mix, ABC News reports. The blend of influenza and the staph infection MRSA killed 22 people last year, a huge jump from three cases the year before. Now, doctors fear a wave of co-infections may be upon us. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Drug-Proof Superbug Turns Deadly

Antibiotic-resistant staph kills more Americans than AIDS

medicine • bacteria • staph infections • superbug • antibiotics • infection • epidemiology • drug resistant • MRSA

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Screening Isn't Slowing Staph: Study

Researchers back more cost-effective, targeted testing to catch superbug

Staph Infection Rate Stuns Experts

Eye-opening numbers on antibiotic-resistant 'superbugs' dwarf previous estimates

'Miracle' Era of Antibiotics Is Ending

Modern medicine can't fight off superbugs for long

New Superbug Highlights Poor Hospital Hygiene

Deadly C. diff., aided by over-prescription of antibiotics, is on the rise

Doctors Fear Flu-Superbug Combo

Mix kills 2 kids in Boston after taking 22 lives last year

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?