1. Stricter regulation of antibiotics, particularly in farming.
2. Better government funding of antibiotic discovery.
3. Stricter regulation of antibiotic use. No solo-drugs, all antibiotics used in stacks of 3 or more. Better monitoring of complete antibiotic use cycles.
Biologic resistance can be managed, HIV is more than enough evidence of it working. We have to get serious about it, the age of reckless antibiotic use needs to end, now.
This is purely from anecdotes, but I've heard from several friends who were exchange students from Pakistan/China/India that we have such a ridiculous system here, that back home they can just buy random antibiotics from the pharmacy whenever they catch a cold.
150 billion land animals raised yearly are a big evolutionary pool of bacteria. To become resistant to antibiotics takes much less time when you run the experiment in parallel 150 billion times per year, than a couple hundred million in humans.
One strain, isolated in one of the 150 billion animals can become resistant and spread around the farm. If it goes unnoticed it can quickly spread over the country.
The next generations will be a lot more expensive due to the cost of developing it. Sadly, this means that many will die not affording the medicine.
Yeah, and they resell them on Amazon so Americans can have the same access.[1]
[1] http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_exa...
Maybe you'll find doctors that will prescribe antibiotics for anything, but the amount of required paperwork seems to be eliminating the practice successfully.