US Urges Responsible Antibiotic Use
American Peggy Lillis thought she had a stomach virus. But her condition was much worse than she thought. She had become infected with what researchers call a “superbug” – clostridium difficile-related infection or “C. difficile.” Ms. Lillis had been given antibiotics after receiving care for her teeth. Doctors believe the medicine killed good bacteria in her body. They believe this made it easy for her to be infected with C. difficile. She died within days of being infected.
Family members went to a meeting last week at the White House. Experts gathered there to talk about how to fight infections that resist antibiotics.
Dr. Tom Frieden is the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He spoke about the victims of improper use of antibiotics.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that about 50 percent of all antibiotic prescriptions are not necessary.
The overuse and misuse of antibiotics leads to stronger bacteria – ones that can resist medical treatments. The CDC estimates these drug-resistant bacteria cause two million infections and about 23,000 deaths each year in the United States.
