# Whether a new disease emerges or an old disease re-emerges in an altered form is almost a moot point. But experts believe the world is over due for a major pandemic. We're monitoring the news and will keep you apprised of emerging threats, but we hope our lucky streak continues.
# Keep in mind that a flu pandemic will kill far more people in a year than terrorist could ever dream of killing, and it will not be stopped by airport screening or radiation detectors. It also has a far greater chance of directly affecting you and your family than terrorism. And while a terrorist attack hits in a moment, a bird flu pandemic will last weeks or months.
Misuse of antibiotics has led to a global health threat: the rise of dangerous—or even fatal—superbugs. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is now attacking both patients in hospitals and also in the community and a deadly new multi-drug resistant bacteria called carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, or CRKP is now in the headlines. Last year, antibiotic resistant infections killed 25,000 people in Europe, the Guardian reports.
Unless steps are taken to address this crisis, the cures doctors have counted on to battle bacteria will soon be useless. CRKP has now been reported in 36 US states—and health officials suspect that it may also be triggering infections in the other 14 states where reporting isn’t required. High rates have been found in long-term care facilities in Los Angeles County, where the superbug was previously believed to be rare, according to a study presented earlier this month. CRKP is even scarier than MRSA because the new superbug is resistant to almost all antibiotics, while a few types of antibiotics still work on MRSA. Who’s at risk for superbugs—and what can you do to protect yourself and family members? Here’s a guide to these dangerous bacteria.
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