Apocalypse or the end of days will not come in the form of a nuclear showdown between Russia and the U.S or an alien attack. Extinction of the human race could start anytime soon as scientists point to the alarming rise of superbugs.

Emerging superbugs or smart bacteria that defeats even the most lethal antibiotics could lead to a deadly plague or mass deaths. In such scenario, even the most common infection could kill as the world nears "a post-antibiotic era," according to a report by Business Insider.

And these efficient killers are already upon us.

Wholesale deaths

In the same report, 58,000 of infant deaths in India last year have been blamed to bacterial infections that caught medical doctors by surprise as many of the cases involved health conditions that previously have responded to antibiotics.

But what really scared health officials is that majority of the "of the babies referred to us have multi-drug resistant infections," the report added.

Also in 2013, hundreds of thousands of Americans succumbed to the fatal assault of "nightmare bacteria" that antibiotics failed to neutralise.

Among the diseases that scientists believed have developed strains against antibiotics are the sexually-transmitted gonorrhoea and tuberculosis, the latter initially believed as already extinguished decades ago.

As the bacteria appears to have become smarter, health officials in the United Kingdom warned of dire consequences if the bacteria advancement is not hacked away soon.

Superbugs on a wild rampage will lead to an apocalyptic scenario - humans dying by the thousands or at a much higher rate - a UK official told Business Insider.

Horrible living condition

Unsurprisingly, the rapid spread of bacteria is blamed on subpar living situations in places like the numerous and sprawling slums in India where access to clean water and toilet is close to non-existent. As a result, infectious diseases are common that doctors address by pointing patients to a convenient but dangerous shortcut - the use and abuse of antibiotics.

Needless to say, the tactic makes the patients eventually resistant to antibiotics, leaving them susceptible to the deadlier onslaught of a more potent strain.

Misuse of antibiotics

And the problem is not exclusive to India as the same report pointed to American culpability too. The United States is being blamed for antibiotic use and abuse that in most cases are unnecessary and many other nations do the same.

If the situation continues, humans can only expect the bleakest of possibilities.

One of which is the onset of infection during a routine surgery, say appendectomy, that could prove fatal just because doctors don't have the antibiotic to keep the bacteria at bay, Business Insider said on its report.

That easily could translate to human deaths of apocalyptic proportions.