Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotics have saved countless lives since their discovery in the twentieth century.

自20世纪发现以来，抗生素已经拯救了无数生命。

Yet bacteria are evolving to survive the very medicines designed to destroy them.

然而，细菌正在进化，以便在专为消灭它们而设计的药物面前存活下来。

Each time an antibiotic is used, the most resistant bacteria have a chance to multiply.

每使用一次抗生素，耐药性最强的细菌就有机会繁殖。

Overprescription and the widespread use of antibiotics in farming have accelerated this process.

抗生素的过度处方以及在农业中的广泛使用，加速了这一过程。

As a result, some common infections are becoming increasingly difficult to treat.

因此，一些常见感染正变得越来越难治疗。

Developing new antibiotics is expensive and offers limited financial rewards for companies.

研发新型抗生素成本高昂，而企业能得到的经济回报却十分有限。

Health authorities are therefore urging doctors to prescribe them more cautiously.

因此，卫生部门正敦促医生更谨慎地开具抗生素。

Patients can help by completing their treatment and never sharing medication.

患者可以通过完成整个疗程、绝不与他人共用药物来提供帮助。

Without coordinated global action, routine surgery could become far more dangerous.

如果没有协调一致的全球行动，常规手术可能会变得危险得多。