system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Just how bad are the potential effects of more and more antibiotic resistant bacteria? Would it cause a global crisis or just be an inconvenience? How long are we looking at before it does become critical?
gpt
There is no way to tell. Right now, if you get a bacterial infection, we can usually treat it by using antibiotics to kill it. If a bacterial infection evolves to the point where our strongest antibiotics don't kill it, then it will be like we don't have any medication at all. This can mean a minor inconvenience, or it cause a global crisis. In the 1300s, bubonic plague, a bacterial infection, killed 30-60 percent of the population of Europe.

That being said, modern societies understand the link between improper hygiene and bacterial infection. As long as we keep washing our hands (which doesn't kill bacteria, but simply removes it) and properly cook our food (bacteria can't become resistant to boiling) then we should stand a far better chance of survival, even without effective antibiotics. Developing countries might get hit pretty hard though.