A new illness has grown increasingly dangerous for infants and there's fear that it may spread to the U.S. In India, a drug-resistant superbug was responsible for almost 60,000 infant deaths last year alone. The illness is totally resistant to any antibiotics, which makes treatment almost impossible. A recent study found that children become infected by the bacteria through water, animals, soil and even the mother could transfer the bacteria. Here is everything you need to know to keep your family safe.
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Can the superbug spread to the U.S.? Yes. In fact, there have been 23,000 related deaths in the U.S. already related to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The CDC continues to do research and isolate cases that could pose a threat to the rest of the population.
The bacteria have three different threat levels: Last year, the CDC categorized the different antibiotic-resistant bacteria into three tiers of threat: concerning, serious and urgent. They vary depending on how quickly the microorganisms spread and bring up serious verses mild symptoms.
What else do we know? A Unicef study found that 70 percent of the infants sick with the superbug were exposed to contaminated water, 78 percent had no soap available in their households and 67 percent of the toilets were unsanitary. Chief of pediatrics at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Dr. Vinod Paul, explains: "If resistant infections keep growing, that progress could slow, stop or even reverse itself. And that would be a disaster for not only India but the entire world."
What you can do: Take antibiotics only as prescribed and follow instructions on the package. This will help prevent your body from developing resistance to the drugs. The same goes for your children. Also, make sure to wash your hands several times a day to avoid bacterial transfer. Visit your doctor to make sure you're in the clear of any infections especially while breastfeeding.
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