Do you know what Antibiotic Resistance is? And why you should care about it?
Since the 1940's when antibiotics were first used during WW 2, their use has become ubiquitous.
Prior to that infections caused by bacteria could be fatal. Many people died because of bacterial infections that their own bodies couldn't fight off. Strept throat, bladder infections, bronchitis, ear infections, STDs, you name it, have all been treated with antibiotics for decades.
In addition, many viral illnesses and other conditions not caused by
bacteria have also had antibiotics thrown at them.
The trouble is that bacteria are smart organisms and over the last few decades have learned how to fight back against these very same antibiotics that used to do them in. Now the bacteria have developed resistance and aren't affected by antibiotic use. It happens when people are exposed to multiple courses of the same antibiotic repeatedly or to people who have been hospitalized for a long time and picked up microbes who have learned to adapt and resist the first-line of antibiotics.
This has led to organisms capable of wreaking havoc in the body, with scary names like MRSA- Methicillin resistant Staph Aureus, which simply means that this strain of Staph is resistant to methicillin and keeps reproducing.
What Health Care Providers are Doing:
The trouble is that bacteria are smart organisms and over the last few decades have learned how to fight back against these very same antibiotics that used to do them in. Now the bacteria have developed resistance and aren't affected by antibiotic use. It happens when people are exposed to multiple courses of the same antibiotic repeatedly or to people who have been hospitalized for a long time and picked up microbes who have learned to adapt and resist the first-line of antibiotics.
This has led to organisms capable of wreaking havoc in the body, with scary names like MRSA- Methicillin resistant Staph Aureus, which simply means that this strain of Staph is resistant to methicillin and keeps reproducing.
What Health Care Providers are Doing:
- We are prescribing fewer antibiotics than previously
- We've improved our diagnostic skills and can distinguish between colds, viruses, the flu all caused by viruses and bronchitis caused by a bacteria, and
- We aren't treating viral infections with antibiotics because they won't work anyway and repeated exposure can lead to resistance.
What You Can Do:
- Remember that antibiotics only work against bacterial infections
- Some illnesses are caused by viruses and antibiotics won't be effective, so don't take a friend's medication or insist upon antibiotics from your health care provider, and
- Do take your medications as prescribed and for the prescribed time
Wonderful informations here ! Did you search for and discover these on your personal or is there a supply link I can go to verify out other people.
Posted by: waters hplc | December 27, 2012 at 04:32 AM
The best place to go for information on Antibiotic resistance is on the CDC website. As a nurse practitioner for over 20 years, I have a lot of experience with people who have developed resistance to antibiotics. It's an important topic and I'm glad you wrote.
Posted by: Nurse Barb | December 28, 2012 at 08:35 AM