RELATED: What if Antibiotics Stopped Working?
According to the New York Times, the patient is now well. But the DOD says it’s working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and local health departments to prevent this superbug’s spread.
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Public health officials first became aware of this colistin-resistant strain in November, when it was discovered in pigs, raw pork meat, and in a few people in China, according to the Washington Post. It’s unclear how the Pennsylvania woman was infected, but CNN reports that she hasn’t traveled outside the U.S. in the last five months.
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that antibiotic resistance is “one of the biggest threats to global health today.” So what does that mean for you? The WHO has a few suggestions: Prevent infections by washing your hands on the reg, keeping your vaccinations up-to-date, using antibiotics only when your doc prescribes them, taking the full prescription, and never, ever sharing antibiotics with anyone else. Plus, FoodSafety.gov urges cooking all meat, poultry, and fish to its proper internal temperature to kill bacteria and viruses.