The rise of the antibiotic-resistant superbug (2012) | Four Corners

This Four Corners documentary was originally broadcast as Rise of the Superbugs on 29 October 2012, on ABC TV.

FROM THE ARCHIVES:
Antibiotics are the wonder drugs of modern medicine. They've allowed doctors to save and extend life by killing infection and enabling groundbreaking surgery. But imagine a world where antibiotics don't work - that would be a place dominated by superbugs, bacteria that don't respond to antibiotics. Scientists say this would end many modern medical procedures and they claim the threat is greater than we realise.

Reporter Geoff Thompson looks at the rise of superbugs, visiting the hot spots around the world where the misuse of antibiotics is creating a breeding ground for these bacteria, and he tells the horrific stories of those who've contracted infections that can't be controlled. He also reveals that Australian health officials are making decisions that could open the way for a deadly superbug to infect Australians living in the far north of the country.

CHAPTERS
01:59 - ‘I was feeling good’
03:21 - When antibiotics don’t work
06:12 - Mobile bacteria
07:16 - India, the perfect petri dish
08:51 - NDM One
13:51 - Inside the labs
19:43 - ‘There’s a 50 per cent chance you’ll die’
21:32 - TB in PNG
25:16 - A porous border
38:53 - Turning to bleach
40:10 - One option left

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