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CNN 10
"Superbugs" and Antibiotics; A New Chinese Spacecraft; Insects As A Mainstream Food Source
Aired November 15, 2019 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: You`re at the end of the week, the middle of November and the beginning of a new edition of CNN 10. I`m Carl Azuz, and
Fridays are awesome!
Do you know what`s not awesome? Antibiotic-resistant germs. That`s our first topic today and it`s one that international health officials are very
concerned about. By germs or bugs, we`re talking about bacteria and fungi.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control, a government health protection again, released a new report this week that says there are now five so-called
superbugs that posed an urgent threat to humans. The last time the CDC released a report like this, they were only three germs listed in that
category. The problem is that certain bacteria and fungi are getting good at surviving even when antibiotics are given for an infection.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Antibiotics are one of the miracles of modern medicine. They have saved countless lives. But
there`s another side to them.
But there`s another side to them. The bacteria that live in our body, they`ve learned how to outwit many of our most powerful antibiotics. These
drug resistant bacteria are called superbugs.
Every year, these superbugs infect more than 2 million people in the United States and kill at least 23,000.
Here`s how a bug becomes a superbug. When you take in antibiotic, there could be some bacteria that know how to resist that antibiotic. Well,
those smart bacteria, they`re the ones that survived your round of antibiotics and they flourish. And that`s when you get a proliferation of
superbugs.
And the more that we as a community take antibiotics, the more chances the bacteria have to become resistant to them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: So, in the words of the latest CDC report, some miracle drugs no longer perform miracles.
It did come with some good news. The Centers for Disease Control says the number of deaths and infections caused by germs that resist antibiotics is
decreasing. It dropped 18 percent between 2013 and now. And the number of infections caught in hospitals is down.
The bad news, according to the CDC, is that they`re still too many germs that resist antibiotics, and that they can be caught anywhere in the
community.
What can be done about this? The report says the answer isn`t in developing more powerful antibiotics, but in using them less often. The
CDC estimates that as many as one-third of the antibiotic prescriptions given in emergency rooms and doctor`s offices aren`t needed but it doesn`t
entirely blame doctors for this. It says it can be hard for them to tell when someone has a bacterial infection, which antibiotics could be good
for, or a viral one, which they`re not.
Medical officials also say that if you`re prescribed an antibiotic, you should take all of it, even after you start feeling better, because not
finishing your prescription could allow any remaining bacteria to learn how to resist antibiotics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ (voice-over): Ten-second trivia:
Which planet is closest to Earth in terms of mass and size?
Mars, Venus, Neptune, or Saturn.
Scientists say it`s Venus that`s most similar in size, though its atmosphere it said to be a poisonous inferno.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: OK. Now that this show is off the ground, we`re reporting on a new Mars lander that China has gotten off the ground. It`s not headed to the
Red Planet yet, but the lander was recently tested in a part of China that said to have a landscape like that of Mars, with slopes and craters all
around.
At first, the vehicle was suspended about 230 feet above the Earth, and then it hovered in the air and slowly descended until it was just a few
feet over the ground. Scientists say the point of this was to test out the lander`s ability to stay in the air and avoiding hitting any obstacles.
Landing safely on Mars is said to be one of the most challenging parts of any mission, even though the planet`s gravitational pull is only about a
third of that of Earth`s.
China has invested billions of dollars into its space program. It`s hoping to become a leading power in space, and it`s planning to launch an unmanned
Mars exploration mission next year.
There`s nothing to eat on Mars, but some people would still rather be stuck with space food than have to eat bugs. They could be a potential food
source on the Red Planet and they are right now on Earth. Of course, when you tell someone, we can all just eat crickets, you`ll probably hear
crickets.
But this could be the next big in culinary science. Experts say that if your toast had cricket flour, your smoothie had locust powder, your eggs
had caterpillar fat and your bacon was made of mealworms, you`d be getting more iron, protein and vitamins than the breakfast you currently want to
eat.
So, it`s time to feast on some new info concerning crispitty, crunchitty crickets and the meal time.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REPORTER: For many, it`s a stuff of nightmares, but keep an open mind. This could be your dinner tonight.
JO WISE, MONKFIELD NUTRITION: This bin will have about 6,000 crickets.
REPORTER: Jo Wise is the managing director at Monkfield. They`ve been growing these as live pet feed for years. Now, they`re expanding, becoming
the first in Britain to produce insects for human consumption at an industrial scale.
WISE: You`re getting at least a kilo plus of protein from that bin.
REPORTER: The average steak has 25 grams of protein. That`s more than 40 steaks in each of these bins. So, Jo is hoping that people will look at
the nutritional value, instead of looking away.
But there are other plusses. Emissions-wise, they`re as eco-friendly as it gets. They take up very little space and they grow really, really fast.
They`re ready for harvest four weeks after they hatched. They`re then frozen, wash thoroughly, put in a microwave, heated to boiling temperatures
killing any bacteria, and they`re good to go. But, still, hard to say they`re mouth-watering.
WISE: This is never going to look as appetizing as, say, a steak, but what we need now is some really good chefs and food scientists to get behind the
product, make some really tasty dishes.
REPORTER: That`s exactly what chef Martha Ortiz is trying to do. She`s been slowly introducing insect dishes into the menu at Ella Canta, her up
market Mexican restaurant in London.
Like the guacamole nacionalista, they created with the golden grasshopper.
MARTHA ORTIZ, CHEF: Even the cracking, you know, it`s something so wonderful.
REPORTER: What do her customers think?
ORTIZ: They love it. They ask for more, you know? They want more. They want to try it. They say this is magnificent. This is delicious.
But try one. You will get in love with them. I`m sure.
REPORTER: This is a bit scary.
ORTIZ: No.
REPORTER: I`m not sure I love them just yet.
A good chef can make anything taste delicious. But the big question is, with these on sale here in the U.K., are people in the West ready to eat
them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never had it before, don`t intend to have it now, probably never will happen.
REPORTER: Some people say crickets, like these are the food of the future.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That`s lovely. No, thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my god. It looks like a cricket as well.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just like crisp on it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not bad.
REPORTER: Not bad?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tastes better than it looks, that`s for sure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC)
AZUZ: For "10 Out of 10" today, when things get stressful at work or school, how nice would it be just to reach down and pet your dog, or cuddle
your cat? That`s the idea at some businesses in Japan where every day is "take your pet to work" day.
Supporters say the office is happier, it may be more productive. In some cases, having animals around is said to attract more business.
Of course, you risk getting some serious side eye. And on the downside, workers often have to walk out of the office. People with allergies find
working much sneezier.
Disagreements can become dogfights. Conflicts can become catfights. There`s more threat of backbiting and there are only human resources with
no defined pet clause to settle ruff reports and hissy fits that others find un-meow-sing.
Also, there`s a whole lot more litter y`all. Maybe this whole idea is best just left as a pet project.
I`m Carl Azuz, hoping all of you have a wonderful weekend.
END
