RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina health officials are sounding the alarm over a sharp rise in drug-resistant bacterial infections, warning that so-called “superbugs” are spreading faster than new antibiotics can be developed.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has labeled these antibiotic-resistant pathogens as one of the world’s top public health threats — and experts say the trend is now becoming increasingly visible across North Carolina.
Superbugs Turning Routine Infections Deadly
“These bacteria don’t respond to the first-line antibiotics that doctors often use,” said Dr. Thomas Holland, an infectious disease specialist at Duke University Hospital. “Things that we could normally treat relatively easily, like urinary tract infections or staph infections, are becoming harder to treat.”
The most common antibiotic-resistant infection in the U.S. remains MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), which can cause skin infections, pneumonia, and bloodstream infections. Holland said newer threats are also emerging — including Candida auris, a fungal pathogen that has shown alarming resistance to treatment.
CDC Reports 460% Increase in Dangerous Superbug
Recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show a dramatic 460% increase in infections caused by NDM-producing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (NDM-CRE) between 2019 and 2023…