It’s (Probably) Not Too Late to Deal With Antibiotic Resistance

It's always tempting for politicians to put off addressing something that is a known problem but isn't an immediate crisis – whether it be long-term solvency for Social Security and Medicare, adequate funding for state and local government pension plans, or growing fiscal deficits. We all know that the longer the politicians put off fixing these problems, the more fiscally painful the ultimate solution will be. But there's one current problem where the consequences of putting off action are not just monetary but a matter of life or death. Failing to develop new antibiotics to address the growing problem of antibiotic resistance will, in the space of a single generation, result in the premature deaths of tens of millions of people each year worldwide.