Deaths from Superbugs Worse than Reported: Study

Researchers at the University of Washington have found that a significantly higher number of deaths from multidrug-resistant infections by using a method different from the CDC's to estimate the burden of antibiotic-resistant infections. By using estimates of deaths caused by sepsis and reported rates of multidrug resistance in U.S. hospitals, along with estimates of outpatient deaths caused by infections, the study found that the low end of their estimate of at least 153,113 deaths annually from multidrug-resistant infections is almost seven times higher than the CDC's figure. Additionally, the researchers found their upper-end estimate of 162,044 deaths would make multidrug-resistant infections the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. To read more on the study, click here.