Maryn McKenna: What do we do when antibiotics don’t work any more?

Penicillin changed everything. Infections that had previously killed were suddenly quickly curable. Yet as Maryn McKenna shares in this sobering talk, we've squandered the advantages afforded us by that and later antibiotics. Drug-resistant bacteria mean we're entering a post-antibiotic world — and it won't be pretty. There are, however, things we can do ... if we start right now.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more.

[applecat]

LITERALLY THE ENTIRE WORLD NEEDS TO FREAKING LEARN ABOUT THIS RIGHT NOW! Do not let this scare you, talk to other about it!

[jelanidacostabest]

"We don't trash the environment."
The oceans would like to have a word.

[rachealivyvlogs]

That was amazing... You could literally hear the passion in her voice, it was very well spoken.

[TheLokoki]

Well, that really was an uplifting speach…

[vryc]

I love this talk. Very inspiring. Gives me hope.

[mrHARDGAMR]

Basically, don't jump to getting antibiotic prescriptions. And be careful, if you for sure know your immune system can efficiently take care of the infection, try to avoid use. Of course this doesn't always apply to the elderly, or the young, or those in immediate need of treatment. It can be very pricy to find non-antibiotic treated vegies, meats etc... So we can always start with building a healthy lifestyle where our immune system would be strong enough to handle the basic infections.

[IlCarnefce]

Well, this was the saddest news I've heard in a long time.

[joannedavies]

I actually thought this talk was very good, as a Staff Nurse of over 20yrs, the amount of antibiotics doctors prescribe is enormous, without a second thought. Blood tests before in some cases would be an idea. Well done Maryn !!!!

[UTubeTulip]

I'm no expert on the topic, but I feel equally as passionate about this as Maryn. Wish people would stop taking antibiotics for things like colds and I wish they didn't put antibiotics in our food.

[benphartine]

Listen to her talk on the antibiotic use in raising chicken for meat. She also wrote a book called big chicken, it’s equally enlightening.

[Ferdinand]

14 minutes of doom talking
3 minutes of solutions you could have thought of yourself
her main point: we are already doomed

[MezMezMez]

The best way to start is to drastically reduce antibiotic use in livestock. At the same time, we consumers need to expect to pay for our meat and poultry, as reducing antibiotic use will increase production costs.

[takigan]

This. TED TALK. Makes. William Shatner. Look like. An. Auctioneer.

[kinana]

Well.... I'm scared shitless. Luckily, my family and i aren't big on taking meds for things like colds, stomach illness and so on. I like to think that that is why i don't get sick as often as my classmates at school or my colleagues at work. I could be wrong though.

[sierrazeiter]

Antibiotic resistance is a very scary and real thing we are dealing with. The over prescription of antibiotics and the addition of them into our foods has speed up this problem and only made it worse. Doctors are very cautious and this causes them to over prescribe antibiotic to their patients, even if it is not necessary. When your body is constantly being exposed to antibiotics your immune system will become adapted and the drug will no longer have the same effects as it used to. It's the same thing that happens with over exposure to painkillers. The food industry is not making matters any better, like she stated. There is no need to be adding antibiotics into everything we eat. This is done in order to save the company money and speed up the growth of the animal, but at what cost? People are dying because companies want to make more money than they already do. Young children have suffered from antibiotic resistance and it has to be taken more seriously.Monitoring doctors prescription rates and increasing regulations on antibiotics used in food is a great step. If pharmaceutical companies will not make new antibiotics without incentives, they need incentives and we need to slow the process down.

[recer]

Let's see how many people here that probably is alive today because of antibiotics.

When i was 12 i got a pneumonia. lying in my bed for a week. Every day worse than the last. Then i got antibiotics. And almost over the night i felt much better. The pain was gone. Only the sleepiness was left. Another week and i felt fit agen. Without antibiotics i probably would not get to be 13.

Did antibiotics save your life to ?

[laprimadejinsoul]

i was diagnosed with blood poisoning (sepsis) bc of a cyst recently and this made me worried bc this can happen to anyone and i was prescribed 2 different antibiotics to take 6 times a day 😦

[Meanderonthemoon]

I can't believe I had never even heard about this until my first college biology class! The whole world needs to see this video!

[sebastianpedersen]

deeply moving this is incredible i hope i dont gewt infected one time i got an ear infection and trhankfully i ised antibiotics to help me hopefully i font get rresitance to a it and die

[BOBOUDA]

This video made me sad, brb taking an antibiotic to feel better.