Just as millions of Americans are getting ready to travel for the Holidays, and will be sealed in planes, and packed in crowded places, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is warning of the rampant threat of drug-resistance “superbugs.”

According to a newly released report by the CDC “every 15 minutes, someone in the U.S. dies from a superbug that is resistant to antibiotics.” The 2019 Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States report said around 35,000 deaths each year occur from drug-resistant infections.

The new federal report placed five drug-resistant superbugs on the CDC’s urgent threat list, which is up from the three germs listed in the previously most recent report issued in 2013.

“This report from CDC, the second of its kind, presents data about the top 18 pathogens that require attention now,” stated CDC Director Robert Redfield. “It emphasizes that antibiotic resistance is a [major] health issue that can spread through people, animals, and the environment…and affects nearly every aspect of life.”

Genetic research showed germs have become especially adept at teaching each other how to outwit antibiotics. Experts are pushing doctors to prescribe antibiotics only when absolutely necessary.

“Our nation must stop referring to a coming post-antibiotic era—it’s already here,” urged Redfield. “You and I are living in a time when some miracle drugs no longer perform miracles and families are being ripped apart by a microscopic enemy.”