One of the greatest medical miracles was the discovery of the first antibiotic, penicillin, by Alexander Fleming in 1928. But penicillin was not called an antibiotic. The term antibiotic in medicine would not come until 1943 when Ukrainian-born American microbiologist Selman Waksman first used the term. Waksman discovered over 20 antibiotics and was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work that led to the discovery of streptomycin!
Today antibiotics are at risk of no longer being miracle drugs to successfully fight infections. The CDC reports that 2.8 million antibiotic resistant infections occur each year in the US and result in more than 35,000 deaths. As we kick off the start of the annual observance of U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week, click here to learn more about this year’s campaign and risks of inappropriate antibiotic usage!
This Weekend Reading series begins with Big News with some of the latest healthcare stories hitting the headlines. Next, check out Bugs & Drugs exploring penicillin allergies, superbug concerns and more! In Bugs on the Run, you will find articles on competing viruses, vaccines, and infections making the rounds. Last, but not least, check out Be Thankful and my personal favorite, Oven fires and cats in turkeys: Your Thanksgiving cooking disasters!
I hope you enjoy the following:
1. Big News
- F.D.A. Approves a Drug That Can Delay Type 1 Diabetes (New York Times)
- Amazon Clinic makes debut: 6 things to know (Becker’s Hospital Review)
- Amazon Clinic – States available
- Smoking Weed Could Be Tougher on Your Lungs Than Cigarettes (HealthDay)
- A nonprofit says preterm births are up in the U.S. — and it’s not a partisan issue (NPR)
2. Bugs & Drugs
- Childhood Allergies: Fleeting or Forever? (WebMD)
- Damage to Health Mounts With Each New COVID Infection (HealthDay)
- A superbug killed my daughter at 25. Here’s how Congress can save others. (USA Today)
- Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs How worried should we be? – Take the Quiz (Pew Charitable Trusts)
3. Bugs on the Run
- Competition between respiratory viruses may hold off a ‘tripledemic’ this winter Researchers say there is a growing body of evidence these viruses interfere with each other’s spread (Science.org)
- RSV Surge in Children Likely Caused by ‘Immunity Gap,’ Not COVID-19 Vaccine (FactCheck.org)
- Large U.S. Study Finds No Link Between COVID Vaccine and Shingles — Findings add new evidence to conflicting prior reports (MedPage Today)
4. Be Thankful
- A search for the man who saved her: ‘Before Twitter goes away, maybe help me find my hero?’ (The Washington Post)
- Oven fires and cats in turkeys: Your Thanksgiving cooking disasters (The Washington Post)
- Turkey in a T-Shirt, and Other Thanksgiving Gimmicks We’ve Tried (New York Times)
Enjoy your weekend!
Best,
Suzanne
Suzanne Daniels, Ph.D.
AEPC President
P.O. Box 1416
Birmingham, MI 48012
Office: (248) 792-2187
Email: [email protected]
