CDC expands campaign against overuse of antibiotics

June 1, 2000
Web posted at: 5:57 p.m. EDT (2157 GMT)

From staff reports

ATLANTA (CNN) -- In an effort to fight drug-resistant bacteria, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expanding its campaign to reduce the number of unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions.

In July, the CDC will begin funding projects in seven more states to combat "the whole culture of overprescribing," Dr. Richard Besser of the CDC said Thursday. Five states already have received federal money; the new recipients are to be announced in the next few weeks.

Patients expectation for medicine and physicians willingness to prescribe it have contributed to the problem. One-third of the 150 million outpatient prescriptions for antibiotics written each year in the United States are unnecessary, according to CDC estimates.

	FIGHTING THE SUPERBUG
Learn how germs develop antibiotic resistance
	ANTIBIOTICS
Ten steps to reduce risk for drug-resistant infection: - Select here - Don't demand them Ask questions Make sure it's strep Finish your medication Follow directions Don't take leftovers Not for prevention Get vaccinated Wash your hands Exercise, eat well, sleep Source: Mayo Clinic Health Oasis

One of the results has been a chemical counterattack by bacteria -- the growth of strains that have become tougher than the drugs being used against them.

"We have patients in the United States dying from infections that are untreatable. This is unthinkable," said Dr. Stuart Levy of Tufts University.

Faced with a growing number of resistant strains, researchers at pharmaceutical companies are rushing to create new antibiotics, and preparing efforts to keep the new medicines from being overprescribed.

The drug Synercid, for instance, was developed to fight tough new strains of staph infections. It is available only as an intravenous treatment and only to specialists dealing with certain high risk patients: those receiving organ transplants, cancer treatments or long-term hospital care.

Antibiotics can be very effective in ending infections caused by bacteria, but infections caused by viruses are largely beyond direct attack by physicians.

"For many patients, there is a knowledge gap," said Dr. Besser. "If we could get people to understand that viruses cause colds and flu, we would go a long way in reducing antibiotic overprescribing."

Besser said some physicians find that it takes "less time to prescribe antibiotics than explain why youre not." Part of the CDC campaign is to encourage physicians to explain to their patients the differences between viral and bacterial infections and to hold off ordering antibiotics when none are needed.

Another area of concern: the quest for a germ-free household.

Besser said there is no benefit in buying such household goods as hand soap, mattresses and toys that include antibacterial elements. "Those products will not improve your health," he said.

Washing your hands with regular soap "is a great way to reduce your chances of getting a cold," Besser said. He also recommended that people, particularly children, see a physician for vaccines that counter infections.

Correspondent Jonathan Aiken contributed to this report.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Mayo Clinic: Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria

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