A compendium of news/articles/videos/pictures/events/stories that triggered the “Oh my god alarm!” Omygdaily – May 27 2016 will discuss:
- “The horror… the horror!” Not just a bug but a superbug has just arrived in the US. How long before it knocks on our doors, or is it already here?
- A six-year-old competing in the spelling bee? No way! This is so unfair to a late-bloomer like me.
- A bull weighing 620 kilos charging at a crowd of people, who are harassing it to celebrate a tradition? Can you imagine the plight of the bull, who is scared, is in pain and will be slaughtered soon?
Omygdaily – May 27 2016
Health
“The horror… the horror!” Not just a bug but a superbug has just arrived in the US. How long before it knock on our doors, or is it already here? (Read More)
This is scary—a drug resistant bacteria. Imagine a situation where somebody you know is suffering from a severe case of bacterial infection and visits the family doctor for medical help. They doctor prescribes a few antibiotics for the person. The person returns home, takes the medication and completes the course, but his infection shows no sign of going away. Matter of fact, it gets progressively worse and the antibiotics doesn’t seem to have any effect on the disease-causing bacteria. In such cases, it is quite possible that this person is suffering from an infection caused by a drug resistant bacteria, also called the superbug, because antibiotics do not have any effect on them.
Now, how does a bacteria become resistant to antibiotics and become a superbug? It is through humans misusing antibiotics, through bacterial mutation, of course, and through humans consuming meat laced with antibiotics. Many antibiotics that are commonly used by humans are also used in poultry and meat production. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends judicious use of antibiotics in food-producing animals. According to CDC, “resistant bacteria may be transmitted to humans through the foods we eat.”
Furthermore, many humans are paranoid about the state of their health. For e.g., I know many hypochondriacs who take antibiotics regularly, for no reason at all. According to them, taking antibiotics regularly is a preëmptive measure, it builds immunity and prevents any bacterial attack. However, unfortunately, they do not realize that taking antibiotics unnecessarily will do more harm than good.
What are the effects?
Firstly, taking an antibacterial pill when it is not required will destroy all bacteria—good and bad—in your system. Yes, there are good bacteria in the body, too. They fight disease, help in food digestion, and keep you healthy. An example of a good bacteria is the probiotic bacteria that is found in our intestinal tracts that help in food digestion and nutrients absorption. Next, even if there are bad bacteria in your system, overuse or misuse of antibiotics will result in some of those bacteria developing resistance over time. Once they develop immunity to antibiotics, those bacteria become superbug. Once a superbug is “born,” it can spread from one human to another or from animals to human via disease-causing vectors.
The fallout…
The reign of antibiotics may be coming to an end sooner than expected. Can you imagine the fallout of such an “event,” in a populous country such as India. Diseases that are now curable with antibiotics will not longer be curable. Hence, epidemics can take epic proportions and wipe out hundreds if not thousands or millions. In the article, CDC Director Tom Frieden talks about drug resistant TB strains and how doctors can do nothing when there are no more drugs left to administer to the patient. I think all they can do is make the last few days for the patients as painless as possible.
Isn’t is scary to think that one day humans can again be vulnerable to the same microscopic microorganisms that we thought we had conquered decades ago? Those organisms can cause diseases and epidemics that kill by the millions, can wipe us out, and all we can do is watch. Mother Nature moves in mysterious ways, and, it seems, we humans are pawns in her larger game. We are not as powerful as we think. When Mother Nature decides to strike, all our egos, our greed, our materialism, our guns, our bombs, our jets cannot save us. To her, we are all “just dust in the wind.”
Say what now?
A six-year-old competing in the spelling bee? No way! This is so unfair to a late-bloomer like me. (Read More)
Oh, c’mon now, a six-year-old participating in the spelling bee! When I was a first grader, I was… well, never mind. Anyway, kudos to this kid. Actually, he started even younger. He participated in his first spelling bee contest when he was just two years old. Two years old! Wrap your mind around that. What are most kids doing when they are two years old? Not participating in a spelling bee contest, I am sure. I know kids who learnt to speak properly only at the age of six. And this kid is already competing in Scripps National Spelling Bee at the age of six. Hats off to him. Go conquer the world, Akash!
Viral
A bull weighing 620 kilos charging at a crowd of people, who are harassing it to celebrate a tradition? Can you imagine the plight of the bull, who is scared, is in pain and will be slaughtered soon? (Read More)
In Spain, the festival is called toro enmaromado (bull in a rope) and is celebrated on the occasion of Corpus Christi. On this day, a rope is tied to the horns of a bull; it is then dragged and chased to the abattoir and slaughtered for a feast. On the way, however, it is harassed, agitated and made to suffer by a crowd of people. It is not enough that the bull will have to die at the end of its journey, it seems, the people involved want it to die a terrifying death. Such are the traditions worldwide.
Look at any religion, anywhere in the world, some form of brutal animal sacrifice is involved to appease the gods. Initially, humans were used as the sacrificial lambs, but it is now, mostly, animals. Even today, once in a blue moon, you will hear humans being sacrificed in some part of the world to appease the gods. What kinds of gods do we have who can only be appeased via blood—animals or humans. I, personally, do not want to be part of any such religions or believe in any such gods.