16% rise in the sale and distribution of antimicrobials <\/a>for food-producing animals between 2023 and 2024, according to the most recent figures. Some of that was due to the outbreak of Avian metapneumovirus in turkeys and chickens and bird flu, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).\n <\/p>\n\n Mallory Smith died in Los Angeles at age 25 from an infection that antibiotics could not beat.\n <\/p>\n
\n Diagnosed at age 3 with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that clogs the lungs with sticky mucus, Smith grew up with doctors expecting a cure to arrive in time to save her.\n <\/p>\n
![\"Mallory](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/health\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/c-mallory-girl-next-door-photo-blue-striped-sweater.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n But as she approached her teenage years, her lungs became infected with B. cepacia, a dangerous bacteria that resists most antibiotics.\n <\/p>\n
\n The infection led to nearly 70 hospitalizations.\n <\/p>\n
\n By 2016, antibiotics had failed. Smith had a double lung transplant, but her infection lingered, and she died two months later in November 2017.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cAntibiotics couldn\u2019t resolve the infection,\u201d her mother, Diane Shader Smith, told CNN.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt\u2019s like a fire you thought you put out, but the embers still remain, and the flames come back hotter, faster and harder to control.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n Before Smith\u2019s death, doctors had secured approval from the FDA to give her bacteriophage therapy, an experimental therapy available in the US only through emergency compassionate use or one-off requests as an investigational new drug.\n <\/p>\n
\n Discovered over a century ago, bacteriophages use viruses \u2013 created by nature \u2013 to attack \u201csuperbugs.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n However, finding the right phage to target a patient\u2019s infection is an enormous challenge; so many phages exist that scientists estimate there\u2019s a trillion for every drop of water or grain of sand.\n <\/p>\n
![\"Mallory](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/health\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/c-mallory-with-diane-in-hospital.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n So far, the use of phages to treat bacterial infections is limited to a handful of countries, and some see them as a potential solution to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.\n <\/p>\n
\n Although phage therapy did not save Smith\u2019s life, an autopsy confirmed that it had begun to work, her mother said.\n <\/p>\n
\n Throughout her life, Smith documented her journey in diary entries, often describing the solace she found at sea, where salt water soothed her scarred lungs and surfing calmed her mind.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cLosing Mallory was a catastrophic event in my life, but raising awareness has propelled me forward,\u201d Shader Smith said.\n <\/p>\n
\n Since her daughter\u2019s death, Shader Smith has traveled the world, raising awareness about AMR and about the potential of phage therapy to save lives.\n <\/p>\n
\n WHO says phage therapy is generally safe, as phages don\u2019t target human cells, but more testing is needed before their use becomes more widespread.\n <\/p>\n
\n The medical treatment isn\u2019t a universal fix for all bacterial infections. Like antibiotics, phages can cause the release of endotoxins, or toxic substances, which can cause a severe inflammatory \u2013 and potentially fatal \u2013 response, like septic shock.\n <\/p>\n
\n Unlike Smith\u2019s story in Los Angeles, AMR tends to hit hardest in lower-income countries \u2013 in Southeast Asia where Liauw lives, as well as South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa \u2013 according to the US National Institutes of Health.\n <\/p>\n
\n But these resistant bugs circulate worldwide, \u201caffecting healthcare systems across all income levels,\u201d Dr. Xin Deng, professor of biomedical sciences at the City University of Hong Kong, told CNN.\n <\/p>\n
\n What separates countries is not the germs themselves but the resources available to tackle them, Deng added.\n <\/p>\n
\n Other factors include a country\u2019s ability to prevent infections, diagnose accurately, control environmental contamination and enforce regulations, Deng said.\n <\/p>\n
\n For some, even treating cuts and wounds could become problematic if AMR spreads due to the risk of a runaway infection.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cSome bacteria inherently pose higher AMR risks,\u201d said Deng, who has studied the topic for 15 years.\n <\/p>\n
\n One example is a bacterium called Pseudomonas aeruginosa, he said, which is linked to infections like meningitis, pneumonia and septicemia \u2013 a major risk to people with cystic fibrosis, like Smith.\n <\/p>\n
\n Along with smarter antibiotic use, Deng called for more public education, healthcare training, vaccination programs and investment for research and diagnostic tools.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThe harsh reality is that with each year of inaction, the AMR crisis will only become more dangerous, more costly to address and significantly more difficult to control,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n
\n By 2050, AMR could cost the world $1.7 trillion in annual GDP losses, research suggests.\n <\/p>\n
\n Momentum to address antimicrobial resistance is building, with more than 170 countries developing action plans and WHO member states agreeing last year to an updated strategy to reduce AMR-related deaths by 10% by 2030.\n <\/p>\n
\n The new plan seeks to slash the quantity of antimicrobials used in the world\u2019s agri-food systems and improve sanitation and hygiene. It also calls for better lab tests and improved surveillance \u2013 steps that could help in cases like Obelix\u2019s.\n <\/p>\n
\n For Liauw, it\u2019s a cause he continues to champion in honor of his child.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe shouldn\u2019t always diagnose infections only based on certain symptoms. We have to take a more holistic approach, like with my son,\u201d Liauw said.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cHis case is not a common one, but it shows the risk of AMR can be deadly.\u201d\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dr. Felix Liauw remembers the first time he held his son, Obelix. \u201cHe looked perfect. He was our…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":47880,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8],"class_list":["post-47879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47879","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47879"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47879\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Baby](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/health\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/c-obelix.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Dr.](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/health\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/c-felix-liauw.jpg\")
<\/p>\n