World News and Trends: Deadly superbug spreading from India
A new gene that makes bacteria resistant to virtually all antibiotics has been discovered in patients in the United States, Britain and South Asia
A new gene that makes bacteria resistant to virtually all antibiotics has been discovered in patients in the United States, Britain and South Asia, according to an Aug. 11, 2010, Reuters report by health and science reporters Kate Kelland and Ben Hirschler. The new gene apparently originated in India and is being spread outside the country by patients traveling there for inexpensive health care.
The article quoted Timothy Walsh of Cardiff University in Britain, who said: "At a global level, this is a real concern...Because of medical tourism [traveling abroad for medical procedures] and international travel in general, resistance to these types of bacteria has the potential to spread around the world very, very quickly. And there is nothing in the (drug development) pipeline to tackle it."
A longtime problem in health care is the ability of bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics, meaning researchers are constantly forced to develop new antibiotics to treat infections.
A particularly troubling development in recent years was the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, which takes thousands of lives worldwide every year due to its resistance to most antibiotics. This new gene raises the stakes even higher, as no new drugs are in development that can effectively deal with it.
Because India is becoming a growing provider for cosmetic surgery for Americans and Europeans, it's likely bacteria with the drug-resistant gene will spread worldwide, with potentially devastating results. (Source: Reuters.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: September - October 2010
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Jerold Aust
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
