Everyone has been prescribed antibiotics at one point or another. But are people really educated about the drugs they are taking? Personally, I think the average American has a lot to learn. We all know people (or maybe you are one of those people) who run to the doctor as soon as they feel a cold coming on and beg for antibiotics. Let me tell you now, do not be this person! Through the incorrect and overuse of antibiotics, we as a society have created a major problem. These important life saving drugs are being taken for granted, and are now losing their effectiveness.
You may have heard the term “superbug” thrown around in the news recently. Superbugs are disease causing bacteria that have become resistant to the drugs once used to kill them. As we continue to use antibiotics, the bacteria are adapting and finding ways to protect themselves from the drugs created to destroy them. When we take antibiotics for a bacterial infection, the “weak” bacteria die, but those able to resist the effects of the drug survive and multiply. These resistant bacteria are spreading, making more people sick, and we don’t have drugs that work against them anymore. The CDC estimates 35,000 die each year from antibiotic resistant bacteria. If we continue using antibiotics the way we do, this number will only grow.
It’s time to start taking antibiotic resistance seriously. This is a problem that is happening now. Anyone can be infected by an antibiotic resistant bacteria, even you or me. And there may not be anything we can do to fight it. Not only do health care providers need to become more responsible in their prescriptions, but we need to become more responsible as consumers. We need to educate our friends and family members about antibiotics and when and how we should be using them. For more information, check out this 2019 report by the CDC.
Here are some things you can do to protect yourself for antibiotic resistant infections:
-Wash your hands often and carry hand sanitizer
-Do not take antibiotics for a virus (they will NOT work!)
-When you are prescribed antibiotics, make sure you take them for the directed amount of time, never quit early!
-Prepare food safely
-Practice safe sex (gonorrhea, a common STI, is becoming resistant to many drugs)
-Be cautious traveling abroad (make sure you are consuming safe foods and water and get any recommended vaccinations)
-Stay educated and aware!
Microbiology by Madeline 