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NEWS RELEASE
Public Health - Madison & Dane County
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Jeff Golden
(608) 243-0302
Antibiotic Misuse Leads to Trouble
Disease Resistant Bacteria Major Consequence
Madison WI – November 12, 2012 - When a parent has to take his or her child to the doctor for
a bad cold, a sore throat, or a suspected ear or sinus infection, it is natural for that parent to
make sure that some action is taken to address the illness. All too often, that need for action
takes the form of requesting an antibiotic.
While antibiotics can be powerfully effective medicines in fighting illnesses and infections
caused by bacteria, they are completely useless when they are used to combat a disease caused
by a virus. Antibiotics do not work for virus-driven colds, influenza (the flu), runny noses, most
coughs, most cases of bronchitis, many sore throats and sinus infections, and are also ineffective
in treating some types of ear infections. This means that antibiotics will not cure such illnesses,
will not make your child feel better, and will not keep others from catching the bug that made
your child sick. Antibiotics also have a variety of side effects, making their unnecessary use even
less desirable.
Using an antibiotic in situations where they are not effective can cause the bacteria targeted by
this medicine to develop resistance that results in disease-causing bacteria that are harder to
kill. Many serious bacterial illnesses are becoming harder to treat, requiring stronger and
stronger medicines and/or combinations of medications. Some diseases have developed strains
that are almost totally untreatable and other diseases that were considered under control are
now reemerging as a public health challenge. Examples include drug-resistant tuberculosis and
gonorrhea.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the public can play a role in
reducing the threat of resistance to antibiotics by not insisting that our health care providers
prescribe antibiotics on demand. Sharing or saving antibiotics aggravates the problem. Another
very important issue is making sure that you take antibiotics always following your physician´s
instructions. Sometimes people want to stop taking an antibiotic as soon as they start feeling
better. But if they yield to this temptation, the remaining bacteria causing this disease, possibly
including resistant strains, will have the opportunity to start reproducing again. Not only will
the patient be at risk for getting sick again, but they also risk winding up with a stronger, harderto-treat version of the illness.
Improper disposal of unwanted and unused antibiotics contaminates the environment and
provides another potential source of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Until recently, it was
considered good practice to flush unused medications down the toilet or put them in the trash.
We now know that both of these are very bad ideas. We are fortunate in Dane County to have
an active program that allows people to conveniently and safely dispose of all medications
without the risk of them getting into our soil and ground water. The MedDrop program
provides 11 permanent secure locations across Madison and Dane County where these
medications can be safely dropped off; assuring that their disposal will not create any
environmental problems or threats. For more information about MedDrop, see the following
website: http://www.safercommunity.net/MedDrop/index.html
Another challenge is the widespread use of antibiotics in farm animals. Several studies suggest
the misuse of antibiotics by large-scale farming operations may be aggravating the widespread
expansion of disease resistant bacteria. While this problem has been largely eliminated in
European Union countries, the United States continues to lag behind. People concerned with
this problem can explore such possibilities as buying meat from organic – antibiotic free
producers as well as urging their elected representatives to support appropriate regulation of
these practices.
To help the public better understand the issues of the proper and improper use of antibiotics,
the CDC sponsors an annual Get Smart about Antibiotics Week, which this year takes place
during the week of November 12th.
For more information and resources about this initiative, see
http://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/index.html.