A prominent British health official has declared the rise of
antibiotic-resistant superbugs so grave a threat that the world
is now facing an "apocalyptic scenario" in which people die of
routine infections. Dame Sally Davies, the U.K.'s chief medical
officer (a role equivalent to the U.S. surgeon general), warned
Parliament that contagious antibiotic-resistant disease is an
imminent crisis and should be included on the government's
official register of possible national emergencies, right next
to terrorist attacks and natural disasters, according to the
Guardian. Superbugs are disease-causing bacteria that have
evolved to have defenses against antibiotic drugs. Over the
years, some strains of bacteria have become so robust they
resist almost every weapon in our drug armamentarium. "There are
few public health issues of potentially greater importance for
society than antibiotic resistance," Davies told the Guardian.
And she pulled no punches when speaking to Parliament: "We need
to get our act together in thi