The World Health Organization (WHO) sounds the alarm on global antibiotic resistance. Worldwide, very high rates of antibiotic resistance to many bacteria that cause common and serious infections related to diarrhea, sepsis, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and gonorrhea are being seen, according to a new report by the WHO (http://bit.ly/T1KDHQ). Treatment failures drive up the prescribing of third-generation and last-resort antibiotics, such as carbapenems and cephalosporins, which are also becoming ineffective. Drug resistance increases health care costs and the risk of death, yet there is no global consensus on data collection to monitor resistance internationally. "A postantibiotic era-in which common infections and minor injuries can kill-is a very real possibility" for the 21st century, warns the WHO.