The CDC has announced four core actions designed to combat antibiotic resistance. The actions are described in detail in the agency's new report Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2013.
According to the report, more than two million people yearly in the U.S. get infections that are resistant to antibiotics and at least 23,000 die from them. Additionally, C. difficile, a serious diarrheal infection usually associated with antibiotic use, causes at least 250,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths yearly.
The following are the four core actions that the CDC is undertaking to combat these figures:
- Preventing Infections, Preventing the Spread of Resistance. Preventing infections from the get-go reduces the amount of antibiotics that have to be used and reduces the likelihood that resistance will develop during their use.
- Tracking. The CDC collects information on antibiotic-resistant infections, causes of infections and whether specific risk factors caused some people to develop a resistant infection.
- Improving Antibiotic Use/Stewardship. This involves changing the way antibiotics are used, such as looking at prescription frequency and prescribing them only when needed.
- Development of Drugs and Diagnostic Tests. New drugs will need to be developed because antibiotic resistance is part of a natural process as bacteria evolve. New tests will also be needed to track the development of resistance.
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