Combating Antibiotic Resistance: Let’s Work Together!
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2013 Antibiotic Resistance Threats clearly highlights the increasing threat of antibiotic-resistant organisms in the United States. Without effective antibiotics to fight infections, patients infected with resistant organisms are more likely to have complications, or even die. Unfortunately, the threat of multidrug-resistant organisms is compounded with the lack of new antibiotic development; however, with the growing awareness of the public health consequence of resistant organisms, there has been more government support to recognize, combat, and prevent resistant bacteria.
In the Threat Report, four core tactics are offered to help combat antibiotic resistance:
- Preventing infections, preventing the spread of resistance
- Tracking antibiotic-resistant organisms
- Improving antibiotic prescribing and stewardship
- Developing new drugs and diagnostic tests
The third bullet point may be the most important to people in the community. In this case, the general goal of stewardship is to optimize antibiotic use – think “right bug, right drug”. Also, this includes avoidance of antibiotics when it is not necessary such as colds – “Snort, Sniffle, Sneeze: No Antibiotics Please!” Originally thought of as a hospital-associated infection there is increasing evidence that antibiotic resistance can occur in the community. This is why it is important for health care leaders and the community at large work to decrease inappropriate antibiotic use. The CDC’s “Get Smart about Antibiotics Week” campaign has many resources for the public to increase awareness.
During Get Smart About Antibiotics Week (November 17-23, 2014), the SHARPS group (Sharing Antimicrobial Reports for Pediatric Stewardship), a unique collaborate effort of pediatric hospitals throughout the United States, will blog and tweet (@SHARPSgroup) about the following topics:
Day 1 – “Combating Antibiotic Resistance: Let’s Work Together!” – What is Antimicrobial Stewardship? Introduction to Get Smart Week
Day 2 – “Microbiome & Resistance” – What is the microbiome? How does resistance carry forward in the microbiome?
Day 3 – “Antibiotic Prescribing and Antibiotic Resistance” – Linking prescribing practices to impact on resistance
Day 4 – “Antibiotics: For Better or For Worse?” – Unintended consequences of antimicrobials (other than resistance)
Day 5 – “Focus on Infection Control” – Preventing infections results in avoiding antibiotic use
Want to learn more through social media? Join the CDC and @SHARPSgroup at 3:00PM EST on November 18, 2014, for an Antibiotic Resistance Twitter Chat, using #SaveAbx. Are you unable to participate in the DCD Chat? No worries, the conversation will be doing on all day on Twitter, just use #AntibioticDay for an all-day global perspective on antibiotic resistance!