Economics
Baby’s Death Shows Global Threat From Wonder Drug's Demise
- Colistin-resistance gene discovered in China spreads worldwide
- Cases reflect drug’s ‘overuse and abuse,’ Indian doctor says
An ambulance leaves the the King Edward Memorial Hospital.
Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/BloombergThe antibiotic colistin was the last resort for saving babies at the King Edward Memorial Hospital in Pune, India. That defense was breached last year.
In early 2015, a pediatrician at the hospital for the first time encountered two cases in which newborns had bloodstream infections caused by bacteria resistant to the critically important medicine. One of the babies died; the other survived.