Watch DCP3 series editor Ramanan Laxminarayan discuss antibiotic resistance in the new PBS Frontline documentary "Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria". The film brings to light the reach and magnitude of antibiotic resistance. Through first-hand accounts tracking personal brushes with so-called “superbugs” – bacteria resistant to most known forms of antimicrobial treatment – the documentary shows how the problem has catapulted the international medical community into crisis. Visit the PBS website to watch the full length documentary.
Ramanan Laxminarayan, DCP3 series editor and director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, & Policy sat down with Frontline to discuss antibiotic resistance, saying the world is quickly entering a post-antibiotic era:
“We are perhaps already in a world where a scratch could be deadly, if you happen to be someone who can’t afford very expensive antibiotics and happen to live in a developing country. All of this is because of resistance. If we had effective antibiotics to treat infections, generally the antibiotics work really quite well. Infections like pneumonia are very easily treated with antibiotics. But when you don’t have effective antibiotics, then it’s a whole different story.”
Access the full interview transcript here.