Advancements in technology has launched the field of medicine into unimaginable places. Nerve-controlled prosthetic and less invasive cancer treatments are in the making. Health education has become integrated into the grade school curriculum, hygiene awareness is very much present and technology has given us an inside look at the microorganisms. However, has the emphasis on getting “clean” had a negative impact? Has this created incorrect generalizations about all bacteria?

A negative connotation has become associated with the word bacteria, due to its connection to the word disease. Education on microorganisms is so focused on their negative impacts, but should also encompass the importance of its symbiotic relationship with humans. According to an article published by National Geographic in January of 2016, there is nearly a 1:1 ratio of bacteria cells to human cells in our body. These bacteria are in our digestive system helping with the breakdown of food and in our immune system to help protect us from foreign organisms.

Hand sanitizer is often labeled with “kills 99.9 percent of bacteria”, but 99.9 percent of all bacteria is good and necessary for our survival. Doesn’t that give a whole new perspective on antibacterial products? With a simplified understanding of germs, people have begun to assume anti-bacterial products are cleansing and antibiotics help fight against all disease. While anti-bacterial products do fight against disease, they also wipe out other bacteria. Not only does this shift the balance in the relationship between people and bacteria, but the lack of exposure to bacteria also weakens our immune system. Additionally, a small percent of the bacteria always survives; the strongest and adaptive bacteria multiply. From this small population, the new strands grow to become resistant to the current antibacterial products. The continual increase in the overuse of antibacterial products has evolved bacteria into superbugs. These superbugs are changing at a faster rate than we can find new solutions to fight them. According to research conducted by the CDC in 2013, 2 million people are infected with these anti-bacterial resistant bacteria every year, with new strands being found every year.

Left without intervention, this progression on bacterial resistance will send medicinal progress back into the Civil War times. Infections from simple cuts will become deadly. There have already been recorded deaths due to superbugs. For example, hospitals have created too sterile of environments, making them deadly places. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 648,000 people are infected from superbugs at hospitals yearly and of those, 75,000 die. This progress can be slowed if the public becomes more aware of the proper uses for antibacterial products and antibiotics. In replacement, general soap should be used. In contrast to hand sanitizer, which wipes out bacteria, soap’s molecules interact with water to remove bacteria from the skin. This still allows exposure to bacteria in our environment to build our immune system and prevents their mutation. By increasing awareness and educating the public on this growing issue, we can slow the growth of superbugs and find solutions before it is too late.