Good hygiene practice and a strong Infection Control program are only half the battle against antibiotic resistant infections. Improper use of antibiotics is only increasing the speed by which bacteria develop resistance, something that science has been aware of for years. It might therefore be surprising to find out that many doctors still prescribe antibiotics in cases where there is little to no point in doing so. To this end, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates has launched an antibiotics awareness campaign. “Eighty percent of adults with acute bronchitis should not be placed on antibiotics, yet many are given a prescription,” says Ben Kruskal, pediatrician and director of infection control at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates. “Acute bronchitis is almost always the result of a viral infection. Antibiotics are used to kill bacteria, not viruses.”

As a result, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates has launched a campaign to reduce the inappropriate use of antibiotics by sharing research findings to educate clinicians and change patient perceptions. “There is no benefit from using antibiotics to treat a viral infection like bronchitis,” Kruskal said. “Antibiotics will give you all of the side effects and none of the relief that a patient might hope for from the medication.”

Additionally, antibiotic overuse can lead to antibiotic resistance which has been deemed one of the world’s most pressing public health problems. Kruskal explains that every time you take a drug for a bacterial infection or bug that you do not have, you kill off harmless bacteria and encourage the growth of drug-resistant strains. In the past, this has been viewed as a tradeoff between the individual hope for benefit and the harm to society, but a number of recent studies have demonstrated that even for an individual, recent antibiotic use increases the risk of a resistant infection.

Copyright © 2010 Weymouth News