Richmond woman warns of global health threat after battling antibiotic-resistant infection

The CDC describes antibiotic resistance as 'one of the biggest public health challenges of our time', and experts worry the COVID pandemic may exacerbate the problem.

HEALTH EXPERTS SAY ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT 'SUPERBUGS' COULD BETHE NEXT BIG HEALTHTHREAT.NEW AT 11...OURSHANNON LILLY SPEAKS TO A WOMANWHO SAYS SHE BATTLED ANINFECTIONT HAT NO MEDICINE COULDTOUCH...SHE ALSO SPOKETO A PHYSICIAN - WHO EXPLAINSWHY THIS IS A GLOBAL HEALTHTHREAT.8:56 MY LUNGS WERE UNDER ATTACKAND THERE WAS NOTHING WECOULD DO FOR IT ELLA BALASA ISNO STRANGER TOSICKSSNE.

18:03 I TAKE A LOT OFPILLSTHE RICHMOND NATIVE WAS BORNWITH A GENETIC LUNG DISEASECALLED CYSTIC FIBROSIS.2:43 SO GROWING UP I USED TO BEHOSPITALIZED ALOT FOR THESEINFECTIONS RECEIVING INTRAVENOUSANTIBIOTICS..BEING IN THE HOSPITAL FOR THREEWEE AKST A TIME MULTIPLE TIMES AYEARBUT IN 2019.

5:42 IT WAS A LUNGINFECTION WITH ABACTERIA IN MY LUNGS CALLEDPSEUDOMONAS BALASA SAYS SHEBECAME SICKERTHAN EVER BEFO .RE.WHEN THEANTIBIOTICS SHE WAS TAKING..JUSTSTOPPED WORKING.6:23 I HADEE BN ON ANTIBIOTICSLIKE ISAID THROUGHOUT MY LIFETIME MANYMANY METIS THE SAME ANTIBIOTICSCYCLED MANY TIMES OVER..ALLKINDS OF THEM..BUT THEY WERELOSING THEIR EFFECTIVENESSBUTTED TO 5:12 I WAS VERYARSCED FOR MYLIFE HONESTLY..I DIDN'T KNOW WHATWAS GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME BALASAISN'T ALONE IN HER EXPERIENCE.1:44 AS WE KEEP USINGANTIBIOTICS,STRATEGIC INFECTIONS, SOMETIMESTHERE IS OVERUSE OFANTIBIOTICS, WHICH LEAD TORESISTANCES SARITHA GOMADAM ISAN INFECTIOUSDISEASE PHYSICIAN AT BON SECOURSST.MARY'S HOSPITAL4:26 SO THE MORE ORGANISMS THATBECOME RESISTANT, WE'RERUNNING OUT OFNT AIBIOTICS THATCAN EFFECTIVELY CURE INFECTIONS.THE CDC REPORTS AT LEAST 2.8MILLION PEOPLE GET ANANTIBIOTIC- RESISTANT INFECTIONEACH YEAR.

MORE THAN35 THOUSAND DIE.R.DGOMADAM SAYSANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE HASBECOME MORE COMMON OVER THEYEARS.

2:28 OFTENTIMES, WHENTHE PATIENTCOMES IN INITIALLY, IT'S REALLYHARDTO DISTINGUISH A BACTERIALINFECTION FROM A VIRALINFECTION.SO INCORRECT, ATIBNIOTICS ARESTARTED.BUT ONCE THE VIRALINFECTION IS IDENTIFIED, THEY'REUSUALLY THE ANTIBIOTICSARE USUALLY STOPPED.DR.GOMADAM SAYS THAT WAS ONLYEXASORBATED BY THE PANDEMIC.HTTPS:WITH DATA FROM THE CDC SHOWINGINPATIENT ANTIBIOTIC PRESCRIBINGPEAKED AINPRIL OF2020 BUT THEN STABILIZED.4:36 WE REALLY DON'T WANT TOGET INTO A POST ANTIBIOTIC ERAWHERE COMMON INFECTIONS THATCOULD OTHERWISE BE MANAGEDEFFECTIVELY CAN NO LONGER BEMANAGED BECAUSE THE ORGANISMSHAVE BECOME RESISTANT.GOMADAM SAYS ANTIBIOTICSTEWARDSHIP IS CRITICAL INPREVENTING MORE RESISTANCE.9:50 SO AVOIDING ANTIBIOTICS INCERTAIN SITUATIONS WILLHELP US PRESERVE ANTIBIOTICSWHENWE ACTUALLY REALLY NEED THEM.AND BALASA.24:08 IT'S CERTAINLY STILL ACONCERN YES AND THAT'S WHY ISTILLADVOCATE FOR IT TOO IS TAKINGTHAT MESSAGE GLOBAL9:43:35 THIS WAS IN RICHMOND..NEARMY HOUSE DOCUMENTING HEREXPERIENCE IN A SEGMENT WITH THEBBC.

AND BACK AT HOME.15:58 THAT'S WHAT'S THEIMPORTANT..GETTING THE WORD OUT..MAKING PEOPLE AWARE OF A STORYLIKE MINE<JIBYOU CAN NOW LEGALLY POSESS