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Did you know?

AIs An Antibiotic Right for You?ntibiotic-resistant bacteria are infecting an estimated 30,000 upstate New Yorkers each year and causing about $300 million in excess health care spending and potentially 350 deaths, according to research by Univera Healthcare. View an infographic on antibiotic use at http://tinyurl.com/hx4rdhd or click on the image to the right to enlarge.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria result from antibiotics being over prescribed. They often are prescribed for the flu, common cold, or acute bronchitis, all of which are caused by viruses. Antibiotics do nothing to treat an illness caused by a virus. Antibiotics treat infections that are caused by bacteria. In addition, patients not taking their prescription antibiotics as directed contribute to the development of drug-resistant super bugs. Not taking antibiotics for the full course of treatment can result in a bacterial infection coming back in an even more virulent form.

The bottom line is Upstate New Yorkers are not immune to antibiotic-resistant “super bugs.”

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are infecting an estimated 30,000 upstate New Yorkers each year and causing about $300 million in excess health care spending and potentially 350 deaths, according to research by Univera Healthcare.  Antibiotic-resistant bacteria result from antibiotics being over prescribed. In addition, patients not taking their prescription antibiotics as directed contribute to the development of drug-resistant super bugs.

“These drug-resistant ‘super bugs’ are a global problem,” said Matthew Bartels, M.D., chief medical officer for health care improvement at Univera Healthcare. “Bacteria are becoming resistant to the antibiotics we have, and there are few new antibiotics in development.”

Estimates were derived using national prescribing data issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its finding that about 30 percent of antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary and inappropriate for the conditions for which they were prescribed. Those rates were then applied to US Census Bureau population figures for upstate New York.

Antibiotics treat such illnesses as strep throat and urinary tract infections that are caused by bacteria. They do nothing to treat an illness caused by a virus.

“Too often, antibiotics are prescribed for the flu, the common cold, or acute bronchitis, all of which are caused by viruses,” said Bartels. “The overuse and inappropriate use of antibiotics results in the development of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, such as MRSA.”

MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) outbreaks have occurred in hospitals, schools and even on cruise ships. Patients not taking their prescription antibiotics as directed also contribute to the development of drug-resistant super bugs. Not taking antibiotics for the full course of treatment can result in a bacterial infection coming back in an even more virulent form.

“Sometimes patients will stop taking their antibiotics when they begin to feel better and save the remainder of the pills for the next time they don’t feel well,” said Bartels. “That also contributes to the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.” When antibiotics are prescribed, Bartels urges patients to take them as directed and to complete the entire course of treatment. “And when the doctor says that an antibiotic isn’t needed,” said Bartels, “know that he or she is making the decision to not prescribe antibiotics by keeping the patient’s health and the health of the entire community in mind.”

Learn more about antibiotics from Univera Healthcare’s infographic, “Is an Antibiotic right for you?” online at http://tinyurl.com/hx4rdhd or click on the image above. Additional information about antibiotics is available from Choosing Wisely, an initiative of the ABIM Foundation and Consumer Reports; online at http://tinyurl.com/Using-Antibiotics.

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