Since long warning have been given regarding how bacteria are cleverly evading the best antibiotics used by us. Such a thing has been seen with MRSA strains and increasingly with C. difficile infections that are common in hospitals. This has indicated that the infections that usually would clear up with a short course of drugs might no longer be controlled. For some infection the case can worsen as there may be no strong enough medications left to fight the bacteria at all.

When strep throat or sinus infections are considered, it is definitely not a welcome scenario. But such a thing could prove fatal for infections after surgery and for cancer patients on chemotherapy, because their immune systems are very weaker.

Researchers reported in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, that 39% to 51% of bugs causing infections post surgery are already resistant to normal antibiotics. They also noticed what is going to happen if present trends of rising resistance stayed same. They discovered that a 30% raise may result into an estimated 120,000 more infections and 6,000 extra deaths per year in the US.

The numbers are quite sobering. Scientists have been focusing on hospitals where the trend can be studied most easily. This is an invisible threat that is present not only in hospital but everywhere, including schools, gyms, home and any other place wherein people and pathogens co-exist.