"Hip replacements, organ transplants, cancer chemotherapy and care of pre-term infants would become far more difficult or even too dangerous to undertake."
For the generations brought up in the age of penicillin and its successors that is scary, but almost incomprehensible.
How has it come about?
Well, in the main, through careless use of this vital defensive shield against micro-organisms.
That is by sick people not finishing the entire course of their antibiotic treatments, or doctors handing out antibiotics as placebos to keep moaning patients happy.
We also have the case of primary industries in many countries adding antibiotics into animal feed that then go into the human food chain. Ever eat beef, pork, chicken fish or seafood? Well look out.
Even non-meat eaters and health conscious folk are in danger as superbugs can hitch a ride into your body on beneficial bugs - like probiotics or gut microflora - and begin their potentially fatal spread.
The situation is so bad that a US federal judge has ordered health regulators to withdraw approval for the use of common antibiotics in animal feed. And it is no surprise, as antibiotic-resistant bugs cost the American economy US$20 billion ($26.6 billion) a year.
You getting scared now?
I wasn't when I first started looking at this issue but now I'm quaking a little. It doesn't help that I've spent the past week suffering an appalling cold no amount of lemon, honey and brandy could defeat. Anyway, what riles me is the secret, unthinking way food producers around the globe are endangering us all by using antibiotics on the things we want to eat.
Take the local case of 62 kiwifruit growers who injected antibiotics into their vines to try to stop Psa from destroying them.
Not only is it stupid and dangerous, it is illegal.
These growers fed the vines streptomycin.
Yes, they were facing losing their orchards through the nasty disease but there is a reason you keep antibiotics out of the food chain. And, anyway, their efforts proved futile, with 500,000 trays of their kiwifruit destroyed in a bid to allay overseas fears that the use of antibiotics is widespread in New Zealand.
What makes it worse is one grower asked if it wasn't okay to export could it still be sold locally.
Can you believe that attitude? Not good enough in Asia, but fine for Kiwis.
Now those growers could get two years in jail or fines of up to $15,000 for an individual, or $75,000 for a corporation.
Two of those reportedly involved in the antibiotic use were people who should know better - they being high-profile people within the industry.
Zespri spokesman Dave Courtney said the organisation made it "very clear" to growers injecting vines was not permitted and there would be consequences for any fruit found with residual antibiotics.
"It was very well advertised through the industry. However, some people didn't follow the rules and that's what has happened here." Some growers in the industry want the perpetrators held accountable for their illegal actions.
Officials have yet to take action against any of the offenders and one of them is reported to have said he didn't expect to be prosecuted. Well, he better be.
No one has the right to muck around with our foodstuffs in that way and when people are caught blatantly breaking the rules they deserve the full force of the law to come down on them.
It's not dollars that matter, but keeping us safe from superbugs.
richard@richardmoore.com
