New research has shown that carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) — called "nightmare bacteria" by federal health officials because they are deadly and virtually untreatable — are skyrocketing in the Southeastern USA, according to an article on the USA Today website.

Cases of the antibiotic-resistant CRE rose fivefold in community hospitals in the region from 2008 to 2012, researchers at Duke University Medical Center found, and they said those rates are likely underestimates.

The emergence and spread of these superbugs could be fueled by the overuse of antibiotics and gaps in infection control in hospitals and long-term care facilities, according to the article. Lapses occur even though hospitals and government health agencies educate doctors and other healthcare workers about hand-washing and room-cleaning. 

"That needs to stop," said Kevin Kavanagh, an infection-control activist who leads the watchdog group Health Watch USA in Somerset, Ky. "It's creating a huge problem."

Read the article.