Obama orders plan to combat antibiotic resistance

WASHINGTON — Signaling the seriousness of the threat posed by antibiotic-resistant germs, President Barack Obama on Thursday ordered the government to create a national plan to fight them by early 2015.

“This is an urgent health threat and a threat to our economic stability as well,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, announcing the steps with Obama’s scientific advisers.

Already the world is facing a situation where once-treatable germs can kill. Repeated exposure to antibiotics can lead germs to become resistant to the drug so that it is no longer effective in treating a particular illness.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, antibiotic-resistant infections are linked to 23,000 deaths and 2 million illnesses in the United States annually.

Obama signed an executive order Thursday that would form a government task force and presidential advisory council on the issue, and he called for new regulations to make sure there is appropriate oversight of the use of antibiotics in hospitals. The orders also encourage better tracking of antibiotic use and the development of new antibiotics and tests.

Critics said they had hoped the White House would go further, particularly in terms of the antibiotics used in animals processed for meat. Many drug companies are phasing out the use of antibiotics for animal growth promotion, but advocacy groups have called on them to limit other uses, such as for disease prevention in crowded conditions.