The post-antibiotic era: An existential threat for humanity
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Currently, mankind is facing the risk of running out of working antibiotics. Such a post-antibiotic era bears tremendous risks such as globally spread or even pandemic bacterial infections. These infections become thus untreatable and possibly lethal, particularly endan-gering the health (care) of future generations. This paper discusses this acute concern for humanity in three main steps. After first elaborating on the role of antibiotics and the occur-ring resistance in modern medicine, the focus will be on the current scope of the problem of antibiotics and the prognosis of its future escalation. Then the possibility of a way out and its obstacles will be addressed, before finally assessing the existential threat of a post-antibiotic era.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Articles in IGJR are being published under the Creative-Commons License "CC 4.0 BY". On the basis of this license, the article may be edited and changed, but the author always has to be credited for the original work. By sending your article to IGJR, you agree to the publication of your article under this license. Please contact us if you do not want to have your article be published under CC 4.0 BY.
Dominik Koesling
Dominik Koesling, M. A., is a research assistant at the Department of Biomedical Ethics and the Center for Ocean and Society at Kiel University. He studied communication science and sociology as well as theory of society in Jena. Besides his current research on sustainability, especially in medicine, and ocean health, he works on his PhD project on suffering in Critical Theory.
Claudia Bozzaro
Prof. Dr. phil. Claudia Bozzaro is professor of Medical Ethics at Kiel University. She studied philosophy and art history in Freiburg and Paris. Her research focuses on ethical issues at the beginning and end of life, the analysis of normative concepts in medicine and ethical issues of sustainability in health care.