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121 points pseudolus | 3 comments | | HN request time: 0.392s | source
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burnt-resistor ◴[] No.45601681[source]
The war is being lost for 3 main reasons:

- Overuse in meat agriculture evolving new DRB as a side-effect of profiteering from animal cruelty by force-feeding animals soy and corn.

- Overuse for emotional customer satisfaction reasons rather than evidence-based scientific treatment of viruses with totally-inappropriate antibiotics. This isn't a problem limited to the Global South that this article wags its finger at with imperial arrogance. This happens all the time with American primary care doctors dispensing antibiotics without proof of bacterial infection.

- Lack of R&D into new drug classes.

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WalterBright ◴[] No.45601775[source]
I once went to the doc with symptoms of strep. He prescribed antibiotics. I asked, why didn't you do a strep test first, as I didn't want to take the antibiotics if it wasn't strep? He looked annoyed and did the strep test. The results came back in a few minutes that I had strep.
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1. pjc50 ◴[] No.45603178[source]
I wonder whether the test cost more than the antibiotics. I'm impressed at the speed, though.
replies(2): >>45605301 #>>45607509 #
2. burnt-resistor ◴[] No.45605301[source]
Profits, unreasonable expedience, nor CYA medicine shouldn't be the driving forces. Evidence-based medicine should start with knowing what characteristics or which pathogen it is before dispensing medication. There's only so many prescriptions of a certain class of antimicrobial that can be written before a pathogen evolves, and then it's ICU DoLR time. And then there's the other side-effects: overprescription of Cefdinir for average strep cases has shown to lead to greater risk of infection by resistant C. diff. Microbiome upsets by killing off healthy GI critters too.

While delaying prescriptions campaigns like US CDC may be holistically helpful to discourage some overprescription abuse, it doesn't address the lack of sufficient rapid, systematic, integrated clinical pathological screening and surveillance.

For maximum human benefit, I think essential medical testing services should have a nationwide option provided at minimal costs for anyone including those without health insurance. Some things shouldn't be completely privatized because of the perverse incentives created, like private equity buying up rural hospitals decimating local care options to favor air ambulance services they also own.

I think we can and must do things better and smarter to reduce individual and aggregate harm.

3. M95D ◴[] No.45607509[source]
> I'm impressed at the speed, though.

It's just an immunoblot quick test. You can probably order a kit online (not much use until it expires though).

https://www.praxisdienst.com/en/Lab+Equipment/Tests/Point+of...