Which Way, L.A.?
Miracle drugs, super bugs
In 1979, the US Surgeon General proclaimed "we can close the books on infectious diseases." But they're back, and many of them are resistant to the very antibiotics that were thought to have put an end to the threat of infectious germs. Now the World Health Organization is warning that tuberculosis, malaria, meningitis, typhoid fever and even AIDS may be spread by Super Bugs that can't be stopped any more by antibacterial drugs. The problem is most acute in the Third World, with all of us made vulnerable by the global economy. But this country may be heading for its own crisis because of the misuse of antibiotics. On this edition of Which Way, L.A.?, you'll hear how antibacterial soap, livestock feed and even doctors may be contributing to a problem they're supposed to be solving. In the Newsmaker segment, an Economist magazine reporter from the World AIDS Conference in South Africa. On Reporter's Notebook, increased incidence of violent crimes in Los Angeles leads to a local summit. Speaker Emeritus of the Assembly Antonio Villaraigosa is guest.
By Warren Olney • • 1 min readIn 1979, the US Surgeon General proclaimed "we can close the books on infectious diseases." But they're back, and many of them are resistant to the very antibiotics that were thought to have put an end to the threat of infectious germs. Now the World Health Organization is warning that tuberculosis, malaria, meningitis, typhoid fever and even AIDS may be spread by Super Bugs that can't be stopped any more by antibacterial drugs. The problem is most acute in the Third World, with all of us made vulnerable by the global economy. But this country may be heading for its own crisis because of the misuse of antibiotics. On this edition of Which Way, L.A.?, you'll hear how antibacterial soap, livestock feed and even doctors may be contributing to a problem they're supposed to be solving.
In the Newsmaker segment, an Economist magazine reporter from the World AIDS Conference in South Africa. On Reporter's Notebook, increased incidence of violent crimes in Los Angeles leads to a local summit. Speaker Emeritus of the Assembly Antonio Villaraigosa is guest.
