Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern within the medical community. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur within the U.S. each year, and more than 35,000 people die as a result.
To help curb the overuse of these life-saving medications and prevent further resistance, the CDC established U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week, held this year from Nov. 18-24.
St. Peter’s Health Partners Regional Director of Infection Prevention Kassandra Foley and St. Peter’s Hospital Pharmacy Supervisor Daniella Rodrigues, spoke to Spectrum News about the importance of antibiotic conservation.
From the report:
“Antibiotics are a precious resource. We can only utilize them, though, for bacterial infections,” Foley said. “They are not effective against a viral infection, which is what we see this time of year are colds, flus and even RSV that’s been in the news a lot.”
With a nationwide shortage of the popular antibiotic amoxicillin, there is a strong need for regulation and awareness of overprescribing antibiotics that are not needed.
“In light of all the shortages that we are having, we like to make sure we make the public aware of that,” Rodrigues said. “So, we conserve the inventory that we have for treating patients that actually need antibiotics for bacterial infections.”
“Don’t take antibiotics that you may have left over from a previous infection,” Foley added. “Take in the entire course of antibiotics. Even for your children or maybe your elderly parents, don’t expect the doctor to give you antibiotics if they tell you that it’s not necessary.”
Click here to watch Spectrum’s full report.
