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Monday 29 October 2012 RISE OF THE SUPERBUGS Antibiotics are the wonder drugs of modern medicine. They've allowed doctors to save and extend life by killing infection and enabling ground breaking surgery. But imagine a world where antibiotics don't work - that would be a place dominated by superbugs, bacteria that don't respond to antibiotics. Scientists say this would end many modern medical procedures and they claim the threat is greater than we realise. Next on Four Corners reporter Geoff Thompson looks at the rise of superbugs, visiting the hot spots around the world where the misuse of antibiotics is creating a breeding ground for these bacteria and he tells the horrific stories of those who've contracted infections that can't be controlled. He also reveals that Australian health officials are making decisions that could open the way for a deadly superbug to infect Australians living in the far north of the country. "...Every time we take an antibiotic we're giving the bug a chance to become a superbug ... the more of us that take antibiotics inappropriately, the greater the chance in the community a superbug will come."  And that's exactly what's happening in India, where antibiotics are not restricted in their use. As a result a new superbug, New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase or NDM-1, has evolved. Not only is it deadly in its own right, it's also capable of genetically modifying other bacteria to make them superbugs. Superbugs like this have infected people who've been injured in accidents while travelling overseas. In other cases, apparently healthy people return from abroad only to discover that a simple medical procedure effectively unleashes the bug. In one instance, a healthy middle-aged man went for a prostate biopsy. The procedure was done successfully but one day later he became desperately ill. A superbug, possibly contracted while travelling overseas, had moved from his bowel into his bloodstream making him critically ill. In the Western Province of Papua New Guinea, close to the Australian border, the misuse of antibiotics has contributed to the rise of a superbug form of Tuberculosis. For seven years the Queensland and Federal Governments funded TB clinics for PNG nationals in the Torres Strait. These clinics were the last line of defence that could stop the superbug coming to the Australian mainland. But the closure of these clinics in June this year has left the job of treating TB patients with the PNG Government , funded by AusAID. This could increase the risk of superbug TB coming to Australia. "Rise of the Superbugs", reported by Geoff Thompson and presented by Kerry O'Brien, goes to air on Monday 29th October on ABC 1 at 8.30 pm. It is replayed on Tuesday 30th October at 11.35 pm. It can also be seen on Saturday at 8.00 pm on ABC News 24 , ABC iview and at abc.net.au/4corners . Four Corners The Stories that Changed Australia: 50 Years of Four Corners From the team behind Australia's premier television current affairs program, Four Corners, comes this landmark book written by some of ABC TV's best journalists. Visit ABC Books for more details. Watch Past Episodes Four Corners presents broadband video available on demand for selected programs. Four Corners on ABC iView Watch Four Corners streamed on-demand and at a high resolution from ABC iview. Four Corners 50 Years Celebrate the rich history of Four Corners: visit our special website, download the free iPad app or buy the ABC DVD Collection. Follow Four Corners on Twitter Become a fan on Facebook Four Corners Home | Newsletter Subscribe or Unsubscribe © 2012 Australian Broadcasting Corporation | Privacy Policy ABC Head Office, 700 Harris Street, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia