Pestilences

We know that pestilences would be newsworthy in these last days, as foretold by Jesus. Its one of the signs of this last generation.
Recently, pestilences have been very much in the news:

We've been following the outbreak of cholera in Haiti. This story is of interest, because if you recall, Jesus linked famine, pestilence earthquakes and warfare. Close observation of regions which have been ravaged by war reveals that the subsequent scenario is similar to the scenario seen after a large earthquake. In both scenarios we see people rendered homeless and we see refugee camps set up. Once this occurs, pestilences aren't far behind, due to poor living conditions and lack of sanitation. The cholera outbreak in Haiti is both predictable and prophetic:

Haiti cholera deaths slow, but spread still feared

Despite initial encouraging signs of a decrease in the week-old outbreak's lethality, Haitian and international health authorities warned they were still preparing for the deadly diarrheal disease to extend further before it was controlled.

"A nationwide outbreak with tens of thousands of cases is a real possibility," the United Nations humanitarian agency OCHA said in a statement.

The cholera epidemic has rocked the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation with another emergency nine-and-a-half months after the Caribbean country suffered a catastrophic January 12 earthquake that killed more than a half a million people.

We also recall this recent story - one that has been appearing in various spots around the world and increasing - as the "superbugs" have been seen in a variety of regions:

New 'superbug' found in UK hospitals

A new superbug that is resistant to even the most powerful antibiotics has entered UK hospitals, experts warn.

They say bacteria that make an enzyme called NDM-1 have travelled back with NHS patients who went abroad to countries like India and Pakistan for treatments such as cosmetic surgery.

NDM-1 can exist inside different bacteria, like E.coli, and it makes them resistant to one of the most powerful groups of antibiotics - carbapenems.

These are generally reserved for use in emergencies and to combat hard-to-treat infections caused by other multi-resistant bacteria.

And experts fear NDM-1 could now jump to other strains of bacteria that are already resistant to many other antibiotics.

Ultimately, this could produce dangerous infections that would spread rapidly from person to person and be almost impossible to treat.

Now we see this:

Deadly superbug kills 18 in Brazil

An outbreak of deadly antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Brazil has killed at least 18 people around its capital city, prompting hurried measures to keep the problem from spreading.

The outbreak in Brasilia of klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase, known as KPC, follows others in Israel in 2007 and in Puerto Rico in 2008, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

At least 183 people had been hospitalised with the infection by late last week, Brazil's national health agency said.

"There is no reason to panic, but there is a need for a call for action," said Denise Cardo, director of the division that monitors hospital infections at the CDC.

"We are seeing an increase in hospital infections in recent years and if health professionals don't take action now it will be harder and harder to contain them in the future."

Infections are hard to treat and are fatal in 40 per cent of cases, Ms Cardo said.

This story will not go away. As we progress towards the Tribulation, we'll continue to see more and more drug resistant bacterial infections. Because of modern-day travel in which people are transported rapidly around the world, the spread of all infections, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria will reach all ends of the earth. Like all other generational signs, this one will also be seen to increase just like birthpains increase in frequency and severity as the labor progresses. Its a sign of our times.