Battling Superbugs - Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria
Health professionals are calling antibiotic-resistant bacteria one of the world's most pressing public health challenges.
It infuriates me that people are abusing such a life-saving medicine and making it so that it is more difficult for it to work when people truly need it.
What is a "superbug"? When a bacterial infection has developed a resistance to common antibiotic treatments it is sometimes called a "superbug".
These infections often last longer, and are much more severe than infections that are not antibiotic-resistant.
In high risk individuals such as young children and the elderly they can also be fatal.
How are bacteria becoming antibiotic-resistant? Many illnesses such as colds, the flu, coughs, bronchitis, runny nose, etc.
are caused by viruses and NOT bacteria.
Antiobiotics are only helpful in illnesses caused by bacteria.
The more times doctors prescribe an antibiotic for a viral illness it increases the chance of people getting an illness that is antibiotic-resistant.
What can I do to prevent problems? Make sure that you always complete a full dose of antibiotics.
Even if you start to feel better, you must complete the full dosage or your illness could come back and be even stronger and more resistant to the medication.
You should also never take any leftover antibiotics to treat a new illness.
If it is a viral infection it won't do any good.
If it is a bacterial infection taking one or two doses will not fight off the bacteria and could make it more resistant in future illnesses.
What is being done to spread the word? The U.
S.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working to help fight the problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria through an educational program called Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work.
According to the CDC's website, the program aims to reduce the rate of antibiotic resistance by: 1.
Promoting adherence to appropriate prescribing guidelines among providers 2.
Decreasing demand for antibiotics for viral upper respiratory infections among healthy adults and parents of young children 3.
Increasing adherence to prescribed antibiotics for upper respiratory infections.
The CDC also reminds people that the spread of viral infections can be reduced through frequent hand washing and by avoiding close contact with others.
It infuriates me that people are abusing such a life-saving medicine and making it so that it is more difficult for it to work when people truly need it.
What is a "superbug"? When a bacterial infection has developed a resistance to common antibiotic treatments it is sometimes called a "superbug".
These infections often last longer, and are much more severe than infections that are not antibiotic-resistant.
In high risk individuals such as young children and the elderly they can also be fatal.
How are bacteria becoming antibiotic-resistant? Many illnesses such as colds, the flu, coughs, bronchitis, runny nose, etc.
are caused by viruses and NOT bacteria.
Antiobiotics are only helpful in illnesses caused by bacteria.
The more times doctors prescribe an antibiotic for a viral illness it increases the chance of people getting an illness that is antibiotic-resistant.
What can I do to prevent problems? Make sure that you always complete a full dose of antibiotics.
Even if you start to feel better, you must complete the full dosage or your illness could come back and be even stronger and more resistant to the medication.
You should also never take any leftover antibiotics to treat a new illness.
If it is a viral infection it won't do any good.
If it is a bacterial infection taking one or two doses will not fight off the bacteria and could make it more resistant in future illnesses.
What is being done to spread the word? The U.
S.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working to help fight the problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria through an educational program called Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work.
According to the CDC's website, the program aims to reduce the rate of antibiotic resistance by: 1.
Promoting adherence to appropriate prescribing guidelines among providers 2.
Decreasing demand for antibiotics for viral upper respiratory infections among healthy adults and parents of young children 3.
Increasing adherence to prescribed antibiotics for upper respiratory infections.
The CDC also reminds people that the spread of viral infections can be reduced through frequent hand washing and by avoiding close contact with others.
Source...