A Tiny Bug Ended My NFL Career —and Almost My Life

During my nine years in the NFL, I ruptured tendons in my fingers, suffered multiple concussions, and broke several bones. I tore my ACL, MCL, and PCL, and completely blew out my left knee. That last injury should have ended my career. But it didn’t. I put myself back together and played through the pain. What finally took me down? A tiny bug I had never heard of and couldn’t see. A drug-resistant staph infection called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus cost me my NFL career—and almost my life. MRSA is one of many deadly, antibiotic-resistant infections. Together, these “superbugs” kill 160,000 Americans every year. And that number is expected to skyrocket. By 2050, they could kill 10 million people around the world every year. Right now, countries offer about $550 million annually in grants for antibiotics research and development. But, according to DRIVE-AB, a global public-private partnership advocating for investment into antibiotics, that’s not nearly enough, and does little to help actually bring these drugs to market. It’s time Americans realize just how dangerous superbugs can be, and devote more resources to stopping them. I contracted MRSA while recovering from a minor surgery on my right knee. The seemingly innocuous skin infection started off the size of a quarter. Doctors gave me a common antibiotic to treat it, then sent me home. Within 36 hours, I had a groin-to-ankle infection on my right leg, which had swe...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized health Source Type: news