Superbugs

SUPERBUGS Fighting the Drug-Resistant Bacteria Threat Antibiotics & Bacteria Antibiotic resistant bacteria are responsible for at least 2,049,442 illnesses in the U.S. every year. Can you imagine a day when antibiotics don't work anymore? It's concerning to think that the antibiotics that we depend upon for everything from skin and ear infections to life-threatening blood- stream infections could no longer work. Unfortunately, the threat of untreatable infections is very real. So, what is fueling antibiotic resistance, you may ask? Here you'll find the reasons behind this threat, and what you can do to help. Roughly 23,000 people per year die due to infections from these 'superbugs'. Simply using antibiotics creates resistance. These drugs should only be used to treat bacterial infections. How Antibiotic Resistance Happens 1. 2. 3. 4. Within a population of bacteria, a few have a natural drug resistance Antibiotics kill bacteria causing the illness, as well as good bacteria protecting the body from infection. The drug-resistant bacteria are now allowed to grow and take over. These bacteria teach their drug- resistance to other bacteria, causing more problems. Antibiotic Prescriptions per 1000 Persons, 2010 Misuse of Antibiotics The chart on the left demonstrates the frequency with which doctors prescribe antibiotics. The reasons for the variations between states are still being studied, but these 529-656 689-774 numbers do offer some insight as to where antibiotic best practices could be most effectively applied. A University of Maryland study showed that just one antibiotic best practices program saved a total of $17 million over the course of eight years. 780-836 843-896 899-972 996-1237 Effects of Antibiotic Resistance The loss of effective antibiotic treatments will not only cripple the ability to fight routine illnesses, but will also undermine treatment in patients with other diseases. Many of the advances in medical treatment-joint replacements, organ transplants, cancer therapy, and treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes, and asthma-are dependent on the ability to fight infections with antibiotics. If that is lost, many of these life-saving and life- improving techniques could be lost with it. Cancer Chemotherapy Complex Surgery Organ & Bone Marrow Transplants The ability to preform these medical procedures could be lost as bacteria become increasingly resistant to antibiotics. How Can You Help? Number of Antibacterial Drug Approvals 20 • Never take antibiotics perscribed for someone else; taking the wrong medication can prolong your illness, or result in unwanted side effects. 15 . If you have been perscribed antibiotics, take them exactly as the doctor perscribed. Finish the entire Course of the antibiotics, even if you start feeling better. 10 • Wash hands frequenly and practice good hygiene to prevent infections. This is the most effective way to prevent misuse of antibiotics. '80-'84 '85-'89 "90-'94 "95-'99 00-'04 05-09 10-12 The number of new antibiotics developed and approved has steadily decreased in the past three decades, leaving fewer options to treat drug-resistant bacteria.