Scientists and public-health officials are a careful bunch who don't often paint doomsday scenarios. That is, unless they're talking about the issue of antibiotic resistance. More and more, as we learn that the threat of drug-resistant superbugs could literally spell our end, antibiotic resistance has become a worry akin to climate change: an overwhelming but intangible menace that can be difficult to rally around. Despite dire warnings about the health impact of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the issue is still abstract for many, industry has blocked efforts to tackle it, and legislation to address it has repeatedly flopped.
