The Plague Makers: How We Are Creating Catastrophic New Epidemics-- And What We Must Do to Avert Them

Indiscriminate use of ``miracle'' antibiotics--a total of 420 since their development in the 1930s--has severely reduced their efficacy, resulting in a global resurgence of antibiotic-resistant infectious diseases such as TB, meningitis and typhoid fever, which could involve ``millions of people in the next decade or sooner,'' warns World Health Organization and pharmaceutical industry consultant Fisher. In his alarming, clearly formulated exposition, the author points out potential sources of contagion, notably hospitals and prisons, the torrent of antibiotic-resistant bacteria ``exported'' from the Third World and the drugs used to treat food, animals and pets. In order to avert disaster, Fisher specifies measures that must be taken in the areas of research, medical education and the practice of health-care. These include reformed hospital procedures, regulation of the pharmaceutical industry and education of individual patients. The book concludes with a guide to proper antibiotic use. (May)