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NEW CUMBERLAND -- This week has been set aside at U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week, according to officials with the Hancock County Health Department, which is joining with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in recognizing the effort to combat the spread of antibiotic resistance.
The agencies also are working to raise awareness of the importance of appropirate antibiotic prescribing and use.
According to health officials, antibiotic resistance is one of the most serious public health problems in the United States, and across the world, and could lead to a situation where simple infections are often fatal.
Since their discovery in the 1920s, antibiotics have transformed people's ability to treat infections. As antibiotic resistance increases, these lifesaving drugs do not work as well as they once did, and successfully treating common infections becomes more difficult.
The main driving factors behind antibiotic resistance are the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. Antibiotics aren't always the answer, and misusing antibiotics is causing a rise in drug resistant bacteria. Every time a person takes antibiotics, resistant bacteria may be left to grow and multiply. Drug resistant bacterial infections last longer, cause more severe illness, and require more medical care.
Every year in the U.S., drug resistant bacteria cause over 2 million infections and at least 23,000 deaths, officials report.
Antibiotics cure bacterial infections, not viral infections such as colds or flu; most coughs and bronchitis; most sore throats; and runny noses
Taking antibiotics for viral infections will not cure the infection; keep other individuals from catching the illness; or help individuals feel better.
Officials suggest preventing antibiotic resistance by not sharing antibiotics, taking them exactly as directed, and throwing out any leftover medication.