The coming crisis in antibiotics

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NOVEMBER 10, 2014 TODAY’S TED TALK Ramanan Laxminarayan: The coming crisis in antibiotics 14:42 minutes · TEDMED 2014 Antibiotic drugs save lives. But we simply use them too much — and often for non-lifesaving purposes, like treating the flu and even raising cheaper chickens. The result, says economist Ramanan Laxminarayan, is that the drugs will stop working for everyone, as the bacteria they target grow more and more resistant. He calls on all of us (patients and doctors alike) to think of antibiotics -- and their ongoing effectiveness -- as a finite resource, and to think twice before we use them. It’s a sobering look at how global medical trends can strike home. Watch now »     PLAYLIST OF THE DAY What's wrong with what we eat? Are we eating the wrong stuff? What about people who don't have enough to eat? These talks examine the problems with our global food system -- and some compelling solutions. Watch » 9 TED Talks · Total run time 2:03:37